


A Wild Winter Road Trip

by Seyary_Minamoto



Category: Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Happy Ending, Lawyer Loki, Pining, Road Trips, Sif May Or May Not Be A Secret Anarchist, Thor is a Loveable Oaf
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-09-10 17:31:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8926033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seyary_Minamoto/pseuds/Seyary_Minamoto
Summary: Loki, estranged from his family, agrees to meet Thor on Boxing Day after almost a decade of not seeing his brother. Thor asks Sif to go with him, expecting he'll need his best friend's support for this crucial re-encounter with his sibling. But Sif arrives to find Thor isn't there yet, and as sparks fly between her and Loki, a mysterious phone call reveals that Thor has landed himself in trouble that only Loki can help him with...





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [escailyy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/escailyy/gifts).



> Happy Mischief and Mistletoe! I did my best to stick to the amusing and amazing prompt you gave me, I sure hope you enjoy it. I know it's a little bit long, but I hope that's not a problem. I really hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> It was my pleasure being your Mischief Maker! Happy Holidays!

The Windy City, or so they called it. Sif hadn’t been there before, but she had been lucky enough to arrive by plane a few days before Christmas. The weather had been chaotic in the city, but fortunately, the atmospheric conditions had let down just in time for her flight to land. According to the forecast, storms would be brewing through the upcoming weeks: she had been fortunate to get there before snow or wind interrupted the airport’s service again. She only hoped Thor wouldn’t get stuck in an airport in California, or else this entire trip would be a waste.

She wasn’t sure yet why she had agreed to this, but Thor had told her he needed her support. She had said she needed eggnog, but nothing could stop Thor from begging his best friend for favors once he set his mind on something. Unwillingly, she had relented. She’d make him pay for this next year, that was for sure.

They were supposed to meet Loki on Boxing Day, for the estranged son of Odin Borson had refused to see his brother any sooner. He didn’t want any sensitive, sweet reencounters with his brother on Christmas... and Sif suspected he would be even more irritated once he saw who Thor had asked to back him up in this important moment of his life.

Loki and Sif had never gotten along well. She had been a rather abrasive girl as a child, and he was a mischievous boy, too, so whenever he couldn’t retort to whatever Sif had said first, he would resort to tricks to take revenge for whatever insulting thing she’d done, such as siding with Thor during an argument instead of with Loki. The worst of such tricks was that one memorable occasion when he put gum on her hair, forcing her to cut it to get the fruit-scented sticky substance off if. Frigga had ordered Loki to take Sif to the hairdresser later, and to make sure to pay for her makeover, and he had done it as unwillingly as possible. That experience had done nothing to soften their opinions about each other.

They grew more distant as teenagers, though, for they had very different interests in life. They’d become cordial, although Sif suspected Loki had always harbored some resentment towards her for their conflictive relationship since their childhood. At least, that’s what she assumed his glares meant. But she hadn’t seen him since Prom, for Loki had clashed against his father in quite an unbelievable argument a few days later. After that, he had detached from the family completely.

His talent as student had allowed him to get a scholarship in Harvard, the deal had been secured before his falling-out with Odin, so he had spent years on end studying, his face buried deep in law books instead of fantasy stories by now. And it wasn’t until thirteen years later that his family had heard from him again, when his name had made the news after he won a crucial case of justice and damned a rich rapist to a sentence of life in prison after multiple felonies.

Sif had thought it wouldn’t be any good for Thor to reach out to Loki, for Frigga to travel to Chicago to see him, but she had been astounded to find she had been wrong: Loki hadn’t turned down his mother’s visit, and she had spent a week over November with him before returning to California, to tell her husband all about how well Loki was doing on his own now.

Odin was a proud business tycoon, though, and unlike his wife and firstborn, he had made no efforts to reconnect with his adoptive son. Sif had no idea what their spat had been about, though she suspected it had something to do with whatever sense of neglect he got from his father, who had his mind set on handing down control of his companies to Thor while sparing nothing for Loki. She had never stopped to ask what the problem was, and she wasn’t sure she needed to know, either. It felt like it wasn’t her business, even if it affected her best friend as much as it did.

Sif had left California as well once she had graduated from police academy, and she had served in New York for a few years before this matter came up again. She had agreed to see Loki with Thor, against her better judgment, and she had taken a plane to the Chicago on the first opening she found. It was harder to find a ticket at this point in time, but she had been lucky enough to get a ridiculously expensive seat in one of the forty-something planes operating between the two cities. She had booked a room in some lousy inn, and spent a couple of days cooped up inside while she waited for Boxing Day to arrive, boxless, in an unknown city.

It was by far her lousiest Christmas, but she had never been one to bask in the Holiday cheer either way. In fact, her job was so draining that spending a few days doing nothing but eating and oversleeping had been rather invigorating. But anxiety pooled in her stomach at the thought of what might happen when Thor and Loki met again. Her best friend had asked for her support for a reason, and as much as she was willing to provide it, she didn’t feel like breaking up their promised fight when she was supposed to be on leave from work…

Yet she had no choice but to prepare for it when the 26th arrived. She dressed with the best clothes she’d brought with her, which were likely going to draw a snobbish chuckle from Loki once he saw her, if was still as stylish as she remembered, and she set out to buy a bottle of the eggnog she’d wanted to drink before making her way to Loki’s house.

It was a small but classy house, unsurprisingly, in what Sif guessed would be one of the best neighborhoods of the city’s outskirts. She rolled her eyes but smiled. She wouldn’t have expected otherwise from Loki.

She paid for the Uber that took her to his address, and she stood anxiously on the sidewalk while eyeing the mostly empty streets with concern. Where was Thor? She only saw one car parked inside, a Jaguar that was likely Loki’s. Thor had a knack for always renting huge cars whenever he traveled, so clearly he wasn’t here yet.

She resolved to stand in the street waiting for him, doing her best to disregard the unpleasant cold breeze that made her shiver. She glared up at the gray skies and shook her head. There better not be a snow storm coming just now… still, Thor had to arrive. He couldn’t have missed his flight, let alone failed to find one… although, admittedly, it was hard to find last-minute flights in the holiday season. Thor had texted her two days earlier, when he was on his way to the airport, so hopefully he was somewhere in the city already…

She huffed and waited for ten minutes, shivering against the cold weather. She started pondering heading to a nearby mall, for it might be a little warmer than this unpleasant street…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the house’s front door swinging open. She froze and turned nervously, her eyes wide when she realized Loki might just have seen her through a window, and perhaps assumed she was some sort of homeless woman…

“What are you doing, standing in front of my house like this?” Loki asked. His voice hadn’t changed much since she last heard it, already deep and velvet as it was when he was a teenager. “If you’re here to ask for charity…”

The look of disbelief in Sif’s face must have been apparent, even though she stood at quite a distance from him. Loki wouldn’t have fallen silent so suddenly if he hadn’t noticed her expression, but he was also staring at her with surprise and familiarity… had he recognized her?

“Sif?” he asked. She gave him a sarcastic smile.

“Surprise…” she said, with the least enthusiastic sing-song voice she could muster. Loki blinked as she smiled. “Didn’t see this one coming, did you?”

“N-no, I… what are you doing here?” he asked, stepping towards her. It had always frustrated Sif how Loki could bear with any low temperatures with such ease, barely trembling even though he only wore a long-sleeved shirt and black jeans.

“Well, I… I actually was asked by Thor to come, he wanted me here for his reencounter with you, who knows why,” said Sif, shrugging and giving him a skeptical smile. To her surprise, Loki smiled more earnestly than she did.

“At any rate, whatever his purposes were, you won’t want to stand out there waiting for him,” he said. “They say a storm is coming, so it would be best to wait inside.”

“Why… thank you,” said Sif. His courtesy shouldn’t have surprised her so much. It seemed the time and distance between her and Loki had made her forget just how polite he could be.

Loki gestured at the house, a non-verbal offer to follow her inside. Sif smiled and stepped towards the entrance, longing for the warmth and protection the building would offer from the elements. Even if she wasn’t looking forward to being alone with Loki, she welcomed the chance to sit down someplace and perhaps relax while waiting for Thor.

The house was as cozy as it looked from the outside, filled with bookshelves. It was no surprise that it would be, of course, and Sif even smiled fondly as she guessed the young, bookish boy Loki had once been was ever unchanged within him.

“I hope you had a safe journey, from wherever it is you came,” said Loki, stepping towards her. Sif bit her lip and handed him the eggnog, making Loki smile as she shrugged her coat off.

“I came from New York,” she said. “I’ve been in Chicago for a few days, but I stayed at an inn and I was just sleeping most the time, so…”

“You spent Christmas here rather than with your family?” Loki asked. Sif shrugged.

“So did you. You don’t have much grounds to judge me for it, do you?” she asked, smirking a little. To her surprise, Loki chuckled and shook his head.

“I certainly don’t. Perhaps you should have been in touch, then. You could have stayed here instead of paying for an inn…”

“Uh… really?” Sif asked, with an apprehensive look. Loki gulped.

“I mean… we were childhood friends, so I’d be obliged to-...”

“We weren’t childhood friends, Loki,” said Sif, with a playful smile. “If anything, we were childhood foes. And pretty bad ones at it, too.”

“Now, really, Sif,” said Loki, looking at her in astonishment. “Are you trying to say you’re not over your haircut, even now...?”

“The haircut? It was the gum that angered me, not the haircut,” she said. A malicious smirk spread over his face and she felt her heart speeding up at the sight of it.

“Well, perhaps I’m somewhat of a masochist, and I enjoy making you angry,” he said, winking teasingly at her. “Have a seat in the living room if you’d like. We can wait for Thor there and, if you want, we can start drinking what you brought…”

“I thought we’d wait for Thor,” she said, biting her lip. “But truth be told, I could use a glass right now.”

“Thought so,” said Loki, again with that charming smile. “Make yourself comfortable.”

There was a fireplace in the living room, the warm flames flickering and helping her chase away the cold. The leather couches looked inviting, so she sank in the one closest to the fire, keeping her hands outstretched to regain her warmth.

Loki returned after a few minutes, carrying a tray with the drinks and the bottle, too. Sif smiled as he placed it on the coffee table and offered her one of the two glasses.

“I’d been waiting unreasonably long to drink eggnog this time around,” she said, chuckling and taking a sip.

“Waiting to be infected by the Christmas cheer?” he asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. Sif huffed in disbelief.

“Can’t remember the last time I was,” she said, smiling at him. He returned the grin in complicity: he had never been one to bask in the holiday spirit.

“Neither can I,” he said. “But I hoped maybe you’d enjoyed the holidays at some other point, even if not this year…”

“Well, enjoying the holidays is not as simple as that. I do imagine you’d understand…” said Sif, sipping the drink. Loki smiled and nodded.

“Sometimes it’s better to cut your ties from the usual festivities that everyone else is overexcited about,” he said. “Besides, with your job… I hear these are the times of the year when crime goes out of control.”

“It tends to be, yes. They were unwilling to let me off the hook this year, but I convinced them, just so Thor wouldn’t have to be so scared of meeting you by himself,” said Sif, with a teasing smirk. Loki raised his eyebrows.

“I’d think I’m the one who needs to be scared. He’s the one with the endless brute strength, after all…” said Loki, drinking as well.

“Well, really, not because he looks that strong does it mean he’s endlessly strong,” said Sif, rolling her eyes. Loki scoffed.

“Right. I forgot you’re stronger than him, even…” he said, his eyes widening in horror. Sif laughed. “Well, then, I am scared now. Maybe that’s why Thor wanted you here, so that he would be able to keep me in check through you.”

“Ah, as if that could possibly happen,” said Sif, smirking. “You’re not the type who knows when to shut up, you know? Even if you realized you’re angering me with your words, you’d keep doing it just because, as you said earlier, you’re that much of a masochist.”

“Oh, well, I suppose you’ve caught me. You can’t scare me enough to make me mind what I’m saying,” he said, smiling back at her. Sif sighed.

“Still, I’m sorry to intrude so unexpectedly. I know it’s been a weird process, getting back in touch with your family…” she said. “You surely weren’t hoping for it, but it still happened, right?”

“I was actually dreading it, which is why I asked for less publicity, but… well, there wasn’t much I could do about it,” said Loki, shrugging. “When my mother called I couldn’t stop myself from picking up the phone…”

“You must have missed her,” said Sif, looking at him with interest. “I mean… she was a wonderful mom. I really envied you guys for having her…”

“I suppose that’s the problem, yes, she was too wonderful,” said Loki, sighing. “So indeed, I couldn’t help myself. I ended up meeting her again, and I certainly was glad for it, but…”

“But Thor’s a different story?” Sif asked. Loki grimaced.

“Not really Thor. It’s… it’s Odin who bothers me.”

That he wouldn’t address Odin as his father struck Sif as odd, but she gritted her teeth and nodded. She knew some family conflicts could be quite straining on the relationship between children and parents, even though she wasn’t in as bad a situation with her parents as Loki had been.

“Well, fortunately Thor was flying alone here, so you won’t have to deal with Odin anytime soon,” said Sif, with a warm smile. “Though… well, he should have already arrived, I think, but with this weather I wonder if his flight was delayed.”

“It might have been,” said Loki, sighing and procuring his smartphone. He swapped through his apps, finding the news and expecting to see some of the typical articles over cancelled flights into Chicago. He didn’t see any yet, but he was sure they would start showing up in time. “Though then again, he should have arrived by now if he expected to reach my house today. I’m sure we have nothing to worry about.”

“Well, if he anticipated to the chaos of holiday traveling, that is” said Sif, raising her eyebrows questioningly. Loki snorted.

“That’s another cause for concern, yes. And I imagine my brother’s tradition of tardiness remains unchanged?”

“If it’s not worse than ever, yes,” said Sif, shaking her head. “Last time we met he had flown to New York to see me, I think he had some business there, I don’t know. He arrived two hours late for our breakfast, I had already gone to work and he was laughing and apologizing on my phone while I was trying to cuff a brat who thought he could spray-paint ‘cunts’ on a government building…”

“Your work seems to be quite a hassle,” said Loki, smirking in amusement. Sif smiled and shrugged.

“I was tempted to let the runt go free, can’t lie,” she said. “He was doing a public service, really. Fortunately they’ll have to bear a while with the paint marring their pretty building.”

“You had to take him in against your will, then,” he said, chuckling. “How anarchic of you. That’s not exemplary of a cop, Sif…”

“They had it coming,” said Sif. “Those pricks screwed me over because of some mishap with some of my papers. It took around six months of pointless bureucracy to fix it.”

“Then you’re not just anarchic, you’re also vengeful!” Loki said, beaming. Sif laughed.

“It’s not easy for me to let go of a grudge, I’m afraid,” she said. “Once wronged, forever scorned, or something along those lines…”

“Well, at least until you take your revenge, I assume,” said Loki, raising his eyebrows. “Which makes me fear for myself, naturally. I can’t quite remember you taking revenge for the mishap with your hair…”

“Oh, I tried, but you were too elusive,” she confessed. Loki snorted. “Really, though! I remember trying to throw that basketball at your head during Gym, but you dodged just in time…”

“Ah, that,” said Loki, his eyes wide at the memory. “I remember my life flashing before my eyes when you did that.”

“Really? Good to know. It worked on some level, then,” said Sif, smirking proudly. Loki laughed.

“Is that enough for your thirst for vengeance to be fulfilled?” he asked. “Or should I brace myself for further trouble while you’re my unexpected guest…?”

“Oh, who knows?” said Sif, raising her eyebrows and biting her lower lip mischievously. “We’ll just have to wait and see if you’ll kick me out of your house when I’m done with you…”

“Huh…” said Loki, smiling in disbelief.

As much as he had always had a soft spot for Sif, and always longed to make up for his wrongdoing for her - caused by his jealousy of Thor, since she always preferred him over himself -, he had never thought he’d have any chances with her after what he did to her as children. Yet... she was flirting just now, wasn’t she? Her tone, the way she bit her lip… his blood rushed to his face and he only kept smiling awkwardly as she finished her drink and poured herself another glass.

“Well, I’m afraid I did ask for it,” he finally whispered, smiling and shrugging. “I suppose I’ll just let you do your worst, then.”

“I do wonder what my worst will be,” said Sif, chuckling. “I suppose it’ll depend on how good a host you are.”

“I did plan on doing my best,” said Loki, raising his eyebrows. “So perhaps you will spare me from the basketball to the face this time.”

“We’ll see, we’ll see…” she said, cocking her head to the side slightly as though measuring her upcoming actions.

“For now, then… would you like something to eat too?” he asked. “Unless you’d rather let the drink get to your head, of course.”

“Don’t underestimate my resistance to alcohol, Loki,” said Sif, smirking. “But I wouldn’t mind eating something. Did you cook anything for your brother, by any chance?”

“Well, I did get some ridiculously huge turkey from the office for my Holiday break,” said Loki, sighing, “I spent most of today and yesterday trying to figure out what to do with it. It’s all cooked now, though I have no idea if it’s any good.”

“If it’s huge then we might as well try it for good measure, then,” said Sif, chuckling. “That way we’ll spare Thor from it if it’s bad, right?”

“So you don’t trust my cooking skills, Sif? You wound me,” said Loki, smirking as he stood up. “But fair enough, we might as well do that. I won’t have you starving while we wait for that hopeless brother of mine to finally arrive.”

“Maybe I should ring him up,” said Sif, pulling out her phone.

As she could have anticipated, calling Thor yielded no results. She had texted him a few times in the last days, but gotten no reply. It wasn’t unlike him to leave her waiting just because he was distracted over nonsense, but this time she guessed it wasn’t Thor’s fault entirely. If he was currently driving a rented car on his way to Loki’s house, he would certainly not pick up the phone.

Sif wandered to the kitchen, the phone pressed to her ear as she waited for any signs of Thor, tapping her arm with a finger while she watched Loki preparing two plates of food for them. He glanced at her at times, but she didn’t catch him until the last one, and he smiled nervously before focusing on his task again.

It certainly was surreal, watching Loki in his kitchen, acting so strangely nervous but not antagonistic. She couldn’t remember the last time there wasn’t a wall of hostility between them, largely built by her choice, of course. As they had grown older she had kept from talking to him unless she had a choice, and she could hardly remember the last full-length conversation they’d had until now. In retrospect, she felt foolish. They had been children, after all, and she was hardly the first girl to get a haircut because of some troublemaker’s doing… maybe revenge wasn’t the best idea. Maybe he deserved being cut some slack after all these years…

They ate together in the kitchen, as it was where Loki always enjoyed his meals. He watched her anxiously, though, as she brought the first bit of turkey to her mouth and tasted it.

“Huh… You know, for a first attempt at cooking turkey, this is far too good,” said Sif, her eyes wide with amazement. Loki sighed in relief.

“Here I was dreading a complete failure. I’m glad,” he said, smiling and trying his own portion too.

It seemed the turkey was actually too good, so before he knew it he had to swat Sif’s prying hands away from the rest of it, even after she’d had a third serving of it. She was prepared to wrestle him for the food, or so she claimed, but he saw the playful smirk on her face. Somehow she was enjoying herself with him, surprisingly so…

They were back in the living room eventually, for he forced her there to keep her from eating all of the turkey in one go. She kept glancing at the kitchen mischievously, and he’d always grunt menacingly to let her know he still had an eye or two on her. She would always laugh about it.

“It’s already getting dark, though,” said Sif, raising her eyebrows as she glanced at the windows. Flecks of snow were falling against the glass panes, and the sky outside was so dark that they’d soon be unable to see anything. “Maybe something’s held him up in the airport?”

“You want to go fetch him?” Loki asked, looking at her with uncertainty. Sif shrugged but shook her head and smiled guiltily at him.

“Your brother may be my best friend, Loki, but his lateness isn’t my fault nor is it my business to remediate it,” she said. “If he needs us for anything he can call us, right?”

“I suppose,” said Loki. “So… your best friend? Just that?”

“What else did you want him to be?” Sif asked, though her gut already told her what the answer to that question would be. Loki tensed up next to her.

“Well, I… I didn’t want him to be anything else, no, but… since you were always so close I always thought maybe you two would…” he said, his voice dropping as he spoke. Sif smirked and looked at him inquisitively.

“That the two of us would what, now? Get married and have a bunch of children?” she asked. Loki grimaced.

“I certainly hoped not, but…”

“Oh? So unwilling to be my brother-in-law?” Sif asked, raising her eyebrows in slight offense now. “I mean, here I thought we were bonding properly today, for the first time ever, but you still don’t like me at all, huh?”

“That’s…! No, Sif, I…”

“No? So you really don’t?”

“No! I mean, that’s not it, Sif!” he said, blushing and averting her gaze. “I do like you better than you think, yes, and I’m glad we could finally sit down and talk without killing each other, but…”

“But you still don’t want to be related to me,” said Sif, smirking. “Why? Want your brother to marry a girl who’s not stronger than him? You know, that would mean I could give him beatings when he deserves them…”

“You can do that without marrying him too, now, can’t you?” Loki asked. Sif snorted.

“Sure, but… damn, why does the idea sound so appalling, Loki?” she asked, no longer as amused but still genuinely curious and somewhat taken aback. “I don’t have any intentions of marrying your brother or doing anything with him that could lead us down that path, but… why does it bother you so much? It’s been a long time since you last saw him, right? Over ten years…”

“I guess…” said Loki, grimacing.

“He could have married someone during that time, even me, for all you knew,” said Sif, raising her eyebrows. “And there’d be nothing you could do about it.”

“But you said you wouldn’t want to marry him, right?” said Loki, shrugging. “So I assume I have nothing to worry about on that front…”

“No,  no you don’t” said Sif, sighing and looking at him through narrow eyes “But I’m still annoyed. One would think that after that great turkey we shared there was a brand new connection between us…”

Loki smiled at her dramatic exaggerations, knowing she was mostly teasing him. But he didn’t want her to feel hurt, though. He gritted his teeth, wondering if there was some way to say this without incriminating himself… surely telling Sif the full truth about his feelings would result in her storming out of his house and into the snow, and he didn’t want that. There was no way she would take this well, he feared…

But not telling her the truth would put at risk the progress their relationship had made in the course of a few hours. She had always seen him as an enemy, as a problem, a nuisance… years later she no longer treated him that way. He couldn’t risk losing that just for keeping his dignity unstained. Besides, why would he still be nervous over confessing having had feelings for his childhood crush, after all these years…?

“I’d like to think there was a connection too, but I don’t want it to be through my brother,” he said. Sif looked at him in confusion.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked. Loki breathed deeply.

“Well… maybe some people don’t mind seeing their childhood crush marrying their brother, but I’m certainly not one of them,” he said, staring pointedly at the fireplace.

A heavy silence hung between them after he said that. Sif frowned, confused, and stared at him in disbelief. This was a joke, one of his usual pranks, no doubt… but the seriousness in his voice and face said otherwise. Childhood crush? Her? What the blazes did he mean by that…?

But before she could say anything Loki let out a bark of laughter and shook his head.

“Then again, maybe I should grow up and stop worrying about those things. Whatever you wanted to do with your life would be none of my business, technically, so…”

“Are you serious, Loki?” she asked, her eyes wide. “What’s… why? When?! I mean… there’s no way you mean that. I wasn’t your childhood crush.”

Loki chuckled and shrugged.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Sif,” he said. Her jaw dropped.

“Loki, dear god!” she said, bringing a hand to her mouth. “B-but you… the gum! My hair!”

“Why do you think I did it?” he asked, finally looking at her again and smiling apologetically. She shook her head.

“For everything you hold dear, please don’t tell me you were operating under that delusional logic of picking on the person you like to show you love them…” she said. Loki laughed.

“Well, it was a more delusional logic, if anything. It was more along the lines of ‘she doesn’t even know I exist, so maybe this way she will stop following Thor around and finally turn to look at me’...”

“But I…! I knew you existed, that’s ridiculous, Loki,” she said. “Maybe we weren’t that close, you were always reading and I was always in fistfights, so we didn’t really operate in the same circles…”

“Indeed,” said Loki, smiling. “And not a lot of people were like me, let alone any beautiful girls, so… since you were always lurking around our house, playing videogames with Thor and whatnot, I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to talk to you often but… I never did work up my courage and assumed you’d never look my way.”

“But… if you had I would have listened,” Sif said. Loki chuckled and shrugged.

“I was a child. Things weren’t as clear back then as they are now,” he said. “I always saw it in movies, that the beautiful girl would stop being interested in the jock after the nerd proved to be nicer… but it didn’t matter if I tried, which I did a couple of times, you always were in cahoots with Thor. So…”

“So your best idea was to put gum in my hair,” said Sif, raising her eyebrows skeptically. Loki smiled awkwardly and shrugged.

“I succeeded, though,” he said. “You finally looked at me… and you wanted to kill me, so I gave up all my hopes to ever play the nerd to our generic school movie plot. I realized I’d messed up beyond repair, so I just… gave up.”

“And it didn’t cross your mind to make amends for it?” Sif asked. “To try to get back on my good side?”

“It did, but… I was sure it would be so much work, to no payoff,” he said, shrugging. “So I stopped trying. You probably deserved better than to be with a fool who would hurt you to get your attention, after all…”

“We were children, Loki,” said Sif. “I’d like to think you wouldn’t stick gum in my hair for talking to Thor anymore, or would you?”

“Ah, would I?” he asked, smirking at her. “We’ll never know, I’m afraid…”

She smirked back as he laughed softly. She bit her lower lip, wondering if pressing on with the subject would be wise…

“But you needn’t worry. I’m fine, I’ve had decades to get over you,” he said, proudly. “Which means that in a couple more decades, maybe, I’ll finally be fully over you, yes…”

“Oh?” she asked, amused. “Wait, but… you’ve been involved with other people, haven’t you?”

“I have, but none of it has lasted very long,” he said, shrugging. “Still, don’t take pity on me, Sif. I am a fully grown man, I can accept my fate…”

“And what fate is that?” Sif asked, looking at him skeptically.

“Why, whatever consequences come from having damned our potential friendship ever since we were children,” said Loki, shrugging and smiling at her. “I know I went too far, and no matter how many times I said I was sorry you wouldn’t forget it. So yes, whatever revenge you have planned for me, feel free to unleash it upon me.”

“Ah, because that way you’ll get the attention you wanted from me all along?” Sif asked, sarcastically. “I don’t think I should comply, then. If your fate is to suffer for your childhood mistakes, you will have to accept that I won’t ever look your way again. See?”

With that, she turned her head in the opposite direction and Loki snorted. He watched as her curtain of black hair flipped around her, and he remembered the first time she showed up as a teenager with her golden tresses dyed this way. Her parents had been dismayed, his brother had been amused and asked her if she wanted to start a rock band. Loki, though, had his breath taken away. She was far too beautiful, and seeing her with black hair only enhanced said beauty, for some reason…

“Cruel fate indeed,” he said, smiling and sighing. “That I may not see or be seen by you anymore…”

His overly dramatic words gave her pause: she had merely been jesting, but maybe Loki wasn’t playing around right now. She huffed, turning her head ever so slightly.

“What will I see, though, if I dare turn to look at you?” she asked. “What was it you hoped to show me, to convince me that I should have been with you?”

“I… well, maybe that’s why you never bothered looking,” said Loki, smiling and sighing. “I didn’t have in mind to offer you anything. Foolish of me. Though of course, if this is a trick to get me to let you eat more turkey just to impress you, you won’t get so lucky…”

Sif laughed and Loki smiled at her. She turned properly now, glancing at him somewhat wistfully. He sighed, marveling at her beautiful features once more, as he always did. It was extremely strange, though, doing so now when Sif knew of his feelings for her…

“I guess the only thing you ought to offer, though, is…” she said, her hand reaching out over the couch. Loki stared at it, somewhat dumbfounded, as her fingers reached his forearm. “That this childhood crush wouldn’t be just that, I guess.”

“What?” he said. “Y-you mean…”

“You’re not a child anymore, though I suppose you might still behave as one sometimes,” said Sif, teasingly. “If this was a childhood thing, then do tell, how do you feel about me now?”

His mouth opened as he waited to think of a response to that, but nothing came. Sif looked at him, a gleam in her eyes akin to hope. What was this supposed to mean...?

“I…” he whispered, as she inched closer.

“You?” she replied in kind, sliding on the couch until they thighs brushed together.

She was the one who brought their lips together, but it was Loki who reached up to cup her face, his trembling hand proof of how unbelievable this was for him. Was she doing this because she pitied him after his silly story about his crush on her? Was she doing it because she had always liked him too and…? No, that was too much. But perhaps she had liked him better today. He had a chance to show her just how highly he thought of her, to be as polite and courteous to her as he could be, and to not make foolish mistakes… was that enough for her to like him? Well, it was enough for her to kiss him, at least. It was a good start, better than what he had realistically expected from her to begin with.

She pulled away after a moment, and he was left wishing for more. He didn’t set down his hand, though, and she pressed her forehead to his.

“Well? Still just a childhood crush?” she whispered. Loki’s nervousness morphed into something entirely different right away. If she really wanted that question answered…

He lunged forth in a wilder kiss, taking her by surprise and leaving her to gasp in amazement. Her hand moved to his hair instinctively, and she caressed his dark locks while his lips brushed hers, his tongue requesting passage through her lips. She granted it without a second thought.

His free hand caressed her waist, and he surrounded her in a gentle embrace smoothly. She was astounded by how forward he was being now, having expected him to remain uneasy, fearful of going too far, maybe. But instead it was as though she had given him free rein, setting free his wildest desires and urges which only were guiding him to do one thing: to take Sif right then and there, without a care in the world.

The fleeting thought that Thor might show up came to her mind briefly, but she couldn’t be bothered to part from Loki long enough to give those thoughts any voice. Who cared if he arrived, anyways? If he happened to barge in while they were fucking, Thor would have no one to blame for it but himself. They had already waited hours and he had failed to arrive, so why keep waiting for him at this point?

“Did… did he know?” Sif asked, as Loki moved down to devour her neck. “Did Thor know…?”

“What does it matter if he knew?” Loki snapped, prompting her to moan when he sucked her neck. She laughed and kept his head in place, urging him to carry on.

“I’m just wondering if… if he stood us up as some sort of matchmaking experiment…” she whispered. Loki actually paused briefly at that, looking at her in apprehension. She smiled. “Not that I’m complaining, of course…”

He smirked. The look on his face made her feel as though there were fireworks in her stomach. She had always known he was handsome, but this was starting to throw all her assumptions about Loki down the garbage chute. Could that awkward, shy and mischievous boy of her childhood have genuinely grown into this wild, good-looking and sexy jerk, whose hands were sliding around her torso and cupping her breasts? It certainly seemed so. It was hard to believe, maybe, but he was doing it all the same…

She needed to kiss those lips again, everything be damned. His hands were doing wonders on her body, and she couldn’t wait until they moved lower yet. Now she wished she hadn’t worn a sweater too, for all the clothes she was wearing were far too many right now. She could scarcely believe Loki was turning her on to this degree, but he was, and she could do nothing but submit to him. She was rendered helpless, and she didn’t regret it in the slightest.

But she wasn’t quite as submissive as that either, though. She wasn’t about to sit tight and wait for him to get the job done: she had always been a go-getter, and even when it came to sex, she didn’t plan on being endlessly patient. She was after what she needed, and what she needed right now, like she never had needed anyone before, was Loki…

So to his surprise, she shoved him back into the couch’s backrest and climbed on his lap, kissing him as comfortably as ever from that position. Her fingers slid through his long hair, and she leaned as close as she could to press her chest into his. His urgent touch made her shiver, most of all when it slid down to her legs. She knew where she needed him the most, and yet his hands eluded her weakest spot deliberately, trailing over her hipbones and moving to cup her ass instead. Well, that wasn’t a bad idea either, she had to concede as much. She would have gladly done the same to him.

It was Sif who reached down to remove her own sweater: she had the feeling Loki hadn’t understood yet just how desperate she was for him, but he got the message right away. His hands were under her shirt in a heartbeat, finding her bare skin which burned with feverish desire for him. A taste of his hands on her breasts over her clothes had not been enough earlier: her heart was racing as she longed for him to go full onwards, and he did. His fingers slid underneath her sports bra, cupping her breasts and fondling her nipples immediately.

“Loki…” she moaned softly, her forehead against his. Her lips were surely red by now, after being devoured so eagerly by his.

He groaned against her, kissing her face all over as he carried on kneading her mounds. Her moaning intensified, and she began shifting against his lap, the only respite she could find at the moment for the spiral of lust she had been caught in. She couldn’t hold back, even though she was definitely surprised by her own forwardness. This was not the way she had expected today to end, but she had to admit, this was far better than her original prediction of having to rush either of the Odinsons to the hospital after one of them ended up with a broken nose, over whatever bad blood that still needed to be resolved between them.

But she was right to suspect that this had been too smooth and simple. Luck had never been too kind to her, and it surely wasn’t to Loki either. So when the phone rang loudly through the living room she cussed under her breath, closing her eyes in disappointment.

Loki didn’t stop, though, and his lips were catching hers again while his hands made to unbutton her shirt. She snorted.

“Loki…” she said. He groaned.

“Leave it alone,” he said, before releasing the top button and lunging forward to kiss and suck on her newly revealed skin. He would certainly leave a mark on it, and she was happy to let him do so. “It can’t be important…”

“And if it is…?” said Sif, before moaning and gasping, his hand sliding inside her jeans now.

“Well then, it certainly won’t be as urgent as this,” he said, with a husky voice. She moaned and kissed him hard, needing more from his mouth and caresses. Whoever was calling could wait, that was for sure…

The ringing was certainly putting a wrench into their mood, but they both knew it would be over sooner than later. Even when the answering machine began working they carried on kissing desperately, as though there was no way to push them apart anymore. She was Loki’s forbidden fruit, and he was her long-lost first enemy, who had grown into one of the most damn handsome men she had ever laid eyes upon. There was nothing that could pull them apart in their quest for satisfying their desires, nothing…

“Mr. Loki Odinson? This is the security staff from the Four Queens, in Las Vegas…” said the voice in the answering machine.

Loki frowned slightly: he hadn’t set foot in Vegas since he was 21, which he had done as a mere initiation rite, but he had found the experience quite lacking. Did they want his services for some case? He wasn’t feeling inclined to agreeing to that right now: they would have a hard time convincing him of helping them with whatever they needed after interrupting this moment between him and Sif. He had been sighing after her for ages, dreaming of kissing her since the first time he saw a romantic movie, wishing to be with her ever since he understood his feelings for her. If some stupid casino had been sued he couldn’t possibly care less…

“... A man we’ve taken into custody listed you as his lawyer and emergency contact? He’s, uh, Thor Odinson. Given your surnames, I suppose he’d be your brother, but…”

The words struck them as a lightning bolt. They pulled away, their eyes wide as they looked at each other in confusion, and then at the phone. What the blazes was Thor doing in Las Vegas?

“In any case, as soon as you get this message make sure to call us back or else we’ll hand him to the local authorities and…”

“Shit. Shit!” Loki grunted, as Sif climbed off him and allowed him to reach for the phone. He arrived just on time, right before the man hung up. “Hello, yes… I’m Loki Odinson.”

Sif watched him with a grimace, her shirt open, her bra slightly lifted and out of place after he had withdrawn his hands too violently. Her body ached where he had last touched her, and she could only long for more…

Loki’s frown grew heavier by the minute. It was wrong for Sif to find him all the more appealing that way, but she couldn’t help herself. He probably looked beyond handsome when he was handling his cases so seriously, with that deep glare in his eyes…

But she knew that their mood had been dampened, and that chances were they wouldn’t be able to return to their endeavors anytime soon. She sighed and waited impatiently as Loki muttered angrily in the phone, his black hair messy after she’d run her hands all over it. What the blazes had Thor done this time? If he survived whatever legal problem he was in, though, she couldn’t promise she wouldn’t kill him for this. She was sure Loki would approve.

She was buttoning her shirt again when Loki finally thanked the man at the phone and hung it up, looking distressed and beyond angry. He ran his hand over his hair and huffed, shaking his head in disbelief.

“My brother is a complete idiot, I had no doubts of it before but clearly he hasn’t changed in the slightest over the course of the last decade,” said Loki, with a sarcastic grin as he looked at Sif. “He got himself in a fight with some other client of the Four Queens and has been kept in their cell for at least thirty minutes now…”

“So wait a minute… while I was here, as he asked, to help him reunite with you after all this time, you’re telling me that he was in Vegas?!” Sif asked, her eyes wide. “Why?!”

“Who knows,” said Loki, rolling his eyes and shaking his head in disbelief. “But there he is, and he’s singled me out as his emergency contact for some ridiculous reason. We haven’t seen each other in ages, and I’m his emergency contact instead of his dear father?”

“I suppose he just chose you because you’re a lawyer…” said Sif, frowning but shaking her head in disbelief. “I’ve texted him for days, he didn’t reply. I should’ve suspected that…”

“You couldn’t have known he was pulling something this stupid. Don’t feel bad,” said Loki, shaking his head. “What an idiot, I swear. I can’t believe he hasn’t grown up in any way ever since we were children…”

“Well, back then he’d get in trouble in arcades, now he does in casinos. Same MO, different locations,” said Sif, sighing and rolling her eyes. “And I suppose you’ll be bailing him out…?”

“Oh, bailing him out?” Loki asked, raising his eyebrows and sinking on the couch again. “Certainly not. I’ll have to go as his legal representative, but I have no intentions to save him from whatever consequences he’ll have to face for this. Whether it’s forced labor or paying to amend whatever damage he caused, he’s doing it all himself. I’ll merely go to tell the 4 Queens’ security staff not to go easy on him.”

“Well, aren’t you ruthless, Mr. Lawyer,” said Sif, smirking. “Normally I’d say you should cut him some slack, since he is your brother but… after getting interrupted by that phonecall, I don’t care to stop you.”

Loki’s eyes widened and he smirked slowly as he looked at her. Sif smiled back.

“I certainly did not expect that. I suppose you really were enjoying it, then…”

“It’s not my fault you’re good at what you do, Loki” she said, looking at him with amusement. “Neither is it my fault that you were smitten with me ever since we were children. I’m afraid that’s too endearing to let slide…”

“Oh, so I’m endearing to you now. Wonderful,” said Loki, sighing in defeat. Sif chuckled. “That’s exactly what I hoped to be.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, really. After what we were just up to… clearly I cannot underestimate what you’re capable of,” she said, with an amused smile before standing up.

Loki sighed, fearing she would call a cab and return to her inn now. Curse Thor and his disgustingly bad timing. Maybe when he was back from putting his brother in his place he would drop by at New York to see Sif again, in hopes she might want to finish what they had started.

“We’ll have to stop at the inn so I can pick up my things and cancel the rest of my reservation,” Sif started, sighing. “Maybe if we rush to the airport we’ll catch a plane on time before the storm-…”

Loki’s eyes widened as he listened to her. Maybe he wouldn’t have to wait that long, actually.

“Wait, what?” said Loki. “You want to… you want to come?”

“I… guess so,” said Sif, looking at him with a frown. “You didn’t want me to?”

“No! I mean, yes!” said Loki, jumping to his feet. His awkwardness didn’t cease to amuse her. “I just… didn’t think you’d want to. It’s a hassle, after all, and Thor is a fool, but… but I’d rather not go alone, truly.”

“Of course, you just want to manipulate into killing your brother for you, and then be exempt of all responsibility for it, don’t you?” Sif teased him, smirking. Loki chuckled. “Seriously now, I really don’t have much else to do, and I can’t see why I shouldn’t want to go on a trip with you. Who knows, we might get to start over with this whenever we stop for the night…”

“I… I’d certainly like that,” said Loki, smiling and standing up. He took her hands in his, kissing her knuckles softly. “Thank you.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” she said, reaching to kiss his lips. He was ridiculously tall, something she only realized now as he leaned down to make her kissing attempt easier.

“I may owe you my sanity, though, when this mess is over with,” said Loki, sighing and pressing his forehead to hers. “If I’d gone alone I couldn’t have promised I wouldn’t toss my brother to the police directly…”

“How mean, Loki, really,” said Sif, chuckling. “Then again, you always had that sort of relationship with your brother, right?”

“They do say siblings work this way,” said Loki, pulling away but still holding her hands. “Either you’ll be willing to help them hide the body of whoever they killed, or you can’t even stand them breathing in your presence. In this particular case, I can’t promise the body being hidden won’t be his…”

“Well, you can now,” said Sif, smiling. “I won’t let you kill him because you will be too distracted with me to do so, or at least, I hope so.”

“I expect to be, honestly,” said Loki, smiling and sighing in relief. “Thank you.”

“No need, I’m happy to join you,” she said, patting his chest gently. “When do we take off?”

Sif helped Loki pack, surprised by how thorough he was. She didn’t expect this trip to last too long, but he packed his bags fully regardless. Unwilling to leave his car parked in the airport for too long, they called a car to pick them up and they stopped by at her inn to gather her luggage too. But as they were on their way to Midland International Airport, the weak snow that had been falling started pouring down with far more strength. Loki scowled at it as Sif hugged herself to keep warm, but she was tempted to reach out and clasp his hand in hers to provide him some comfort.

“If we can’t take a plane to Nevada…” he grunted. Sif sighed.

“We’ll have to make a road trip, then,” she said. Loki’s eyes widened.

“We’ll what, now?” he asked. She smiled and shrugged.

“Have you never done it before?” she asked.

“Not when half the country is frozen over,” said Loki, raising an eyebrow.

“We’ll just have to drive carefully, then,” she said. Loki smiled.

“Do you just always have an answer to everything?” he asked. “And there’s no stopping you when your mind is set on something, is there?”

“I’d like to think those are all good traits of mine…” she said, proudly. Loki smiled too. The Christmas music on the radio barely registered with him as he took in her smile. He couldn’t remember having made her grin like this ever before, and it was a true delight being able to do so now.

The airport was full, something that raised red flags for them both. It didn’t seem there were many planes flying out at the time, especially with the intensifying snowfall. They headed to the counters, in hopes to get a ticket, but the lines were very long and it seemed they wouldn’t shrink anytime soon. Loki frowned as he read the screen that featured information about all the expected flights: they were delayed. He cringed.

“I think we arrived just on time to witness the suspension of flights in Chicago,” he grunted. “I don’t think we’ll be taking a plane anytime soon.”

“Damn Thor,” said Sif, shaking her head. “I still don’t understand what the blazes is he doing in Vegas, of all places…”

“He should have taken a direct flight to Chicago from California, it’s absurd that he wouldn’t do that,” said Loki, frowning. “When did he ask you to come too, exactly?”

“Around two weeks ago. He knew I had no plans for the holidays,” she said. “I thought it’d be nice, seeing him in Boxing Day and… well, I didn’t even imagine just how much nicer it would be to see you again.”

Loki bit his lip, but he couldn’t hold back his satisfied smirk. Sif looked at him with amusement.

“Makes you happy to know so, huh?” she asked. He shrugged.

“It’s not anything I ever expected to hear from you. Naturally, I am happy,” he said, but the announcement through the airport’s speakers of the temporary suspension of all flights made him groan in irritation again. “Maybe we should leave him to rot in Vegas. He did ask for it.”

“He did, but he is your brother and my best friend. We can’t really do that, can we?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. Loki sighed.

“Should we wait a little longer then?” he asked. “Maybe flights will be cleared in time…”

“Hopefully,” said Sif, clasping his hand and leading him to a sitting area.

They were there for at least another hour, which Sif spent dozing off on his shoulder. Loki sighed in bliss about it, reluctant to wake her, but they both knew that they wouldn’t make any progress with Thor at this rate. The snow wasn’t going to stop falling, and while driving was certainly risky, he could still try to get them closer to the south if they rented a car now. It would take much longer to make the trip on a car, but for all the news his weather app was providing, the snow clouds would only continue to stall all flights for at least three more days.

“Sif…” he whispered, his breath brushing against her forehead. She hummed.

“Any flights going out yet?”

“I’m afraid not. Are you still up for that road trip?” he asked. She rubbed her eyes and looked at him somewhat drowsily before smiling.

“When do we leave?”

They rented a large car, as Sif would have it, a Volvo SUV. It was supposed to be the establishment’s safest vehicle for driving in the current conditions of the road. They loaded their luggage on the back seats and Loki took the wheel, while Sif nestled comfortably on the seat beside him.

“I suppose I’ll be your navigator, then,” she said, as her smartphone calculated the route to Las Vegas. “Or Google will be, at any rate…”

“We’ll have to stop for a break pretty soon, it’s already late, but we’ll do our best to cover as much ground as we can this evening. Let me know when you’re tired and we’ll look for an inn…”

“Ah, there’s no need for that. You can stop whenever you like, Loki,” she said, as they pulled out from the airport. Loki smiled.

“Too stubborn to ever say you’re tired?” he asked.

“Too resistant compared to you, looks like,” she replied, with a small smirk. “How do you plan we continue with what we were doing if you’re too tired for it, huh?”

Loki laughed and she smiled. Her hand reached over to rest on his knee fondly.

“For now, just drive. We’ll see about that break after we’re at least in the next state,” she said. Loki sighed.

“I’ll make Thor reimburse me for the money this car cost me,” he said. “And for anything else we spend to get to him.”

“As long as he didn’t blow all his money away by gambling...” said Sif.

The snowy surroundings were beautiful to look at, but they worried Sif too. Loki was driving as carefully as he could, obeying her navigation instructions, but the icy state of the streets certainly was cause for concern. Perhaps if they went further south, as he had said, they’d find less snow, probably more rain, and hopefully some warmth, though she guessed that would have to wait until they were in Nevada. Until then, she would have to keep fearing Loki’s slow driving would be a delay all on its own, which might drag their trip on and make them arrive slightly too late to Thor’s holding cell…

She couldn’t help but wonder if he really had done it on purpose: had he just wanted to mess with her, to prank her, pretending he would visit Loki just to get them together? Thor wasn’t usually that mischievous, but if he had done it with matchmaking thoughts in mind, it would explain why he had done it. Yet even if he had known Loki had a crush on her when they were children, Sif’s feelings for him had been born upon seeing him again and finding he was far more charming and interesting than she ever gave him credit for. How could Thor predict that she would be this taken with his younger brother? Could he, actually? She doubted it. Thor had never been the most observant man, and she doubted he had been as thoughtful as to pick out someone perfectly catered to Sif’s needs and tastes.

Yet it seemed Loki was as suitable for her as could be: their taste in music was surprisingly similar, as she discovered after playing one of her phone’s playlists in an attempt to make the trip a little more uplifting. Their conversation flowed easily, as they discussed not only their shared and distant past, but also their current lives, their common interests and everything that crossed their minds. Not only were they as different as they remembered - Loki still didn’t care for sports, while Sif was heavily invested in following every single sports league she could, for instance -, but they found they also shared much common ground that they hadn’t known they did, not just in terms of reading material or music taste, but also in their distant relationships with their families.

It was close to nine when Loki finally pulled over, in Iowa City. They hadn’t covered much ground, but it was a start. They found an inn, and despite it wasn’t as classy as Loki would have it, they chose to stay there for the night.

“I only hope they changed the sheets,” he grumbled, sighing as they arrived to the only available room in the place.

He frowned heavily as he took in the two individual beds: they were fortunate, no doubt, that they had anywhere to sleep at all, but he certainly would have rather had a single, large bed instead. Sif smiled at the disappointment on his face.

“Don’t worry,” she said, setting down her luggage and turning towards him. “We can push them together if we need to.”

Loki blushed but smiled. How did she do it? So far, whenever he was frustrated, displeased by anything, she would think of a solution for any predicament. He certainly would love having her, and her brightening influence, in his life for a little longer.

He set down his own luggage, as good as dropping it on the floor before leaning in to kiss her. She wasn’t surprised by his forwardness, having wanted this from him just as badly. Yes, it had been a long day, but the night was still young. Surely Thor could stand to wait for them for a little longer, if they needed to sleep in to recover after tonight’s action…

She pressed against his body, shrugging off her coat and throwing her arms around his neck. His touch was all over her soon, his fingers digging into her bottom and embracing her against him. She sighed against his mouth, imitating his own actions and clasping his ass hard. She laughed in bliss, their lips still pressed together, and Loki groaned.

“I’ve been wondering all day… if it really was as tight as it looked,” she admitted, with a mischievous grin. Loki smiled back.

“And here I thought the one with the dirty thoughts was me,” he whispered, kissing her harder and leading her to one of the beds. Maybe Sif’s idea of pushing them together would come in handy later, but he wasn’t putting further hurdles between them and what they both longed for desperately.

He pinned her down on the bed, his larger frame weighing over her as his urgent kisses grew wilder. There was no point in stopping to analyze what they were doing anymore, or whether they should go this far upon reuniting for the first time in over ten years. They would sort out whatever trouble this could bring later, but they needed each other like they had barely needed anyone before. Keeping his eyes on the road and off her had been an unbelievably difficult feat while driving, and he didn’t plan on repeating it anymore. She was giving herself to him for tonight, and he would give himself to her, too…

She ripped his shirt off this time, without hesitating and without waiting for him to do so first. Finding his body was muscular took her by surprise, for he had always been the lanky boy of his household. He had been working out, it seemed… and she certainly approved of that.

Removing his belt was more complicated, for he seemed to refuse to part their bodies ever so slightly, and his pelvis was already brushing against hers. His tongue in her mouth was driving her mad with lust, and she couldn’t get enough of his hot kisses. He was all that filled her mind, and his body felt just right against hers like this. But she couldn’t wait until he filled her in other ways, too…

He took off her shirt, kissing her chest and sliding his hands under her sports bra again. He fondled her breasts, and Sif cried out in bliss while he pressed more kisses down her abdomen. She gasped and moaned, clasping his hands with her own and urging him to massage her more diligently. He complied, smirking as her pelvis shook and jolted, his mouth pressing hot kisses below her navel. He was teasing her, as devilishly as ever, and she loved it even if her body didn’t seem to know how to react to everything he did. She wanted more of his mischief, more of that heated breath against her that warded off the cold winter air. He meant to keep her warm tonight, in the best ways he knew how.

“Loki…” she gasped, as he pushed the sports bra up and out of the way. “Loki, please…”

He crept up her body once more, a lustful look on his eyes as he attacked her neck directly. She gasped, but didn’t waste the chance to pull at his belt as he did the same to her. Her jeans were off long before his pants were, and his hands danced over her lace panties with amusement.

“Really? Such mismatched underwear…” he whispered in her ear. Sif groaned.

“Mind you, I don’t usually pay attention to that, I just… wear whatever’s within my reach, ah!” she cried out, as his finger slid inside her panties.

“If that’s how selective you are about your clothes, I’m certainly allowed to be amused by it,” he said, smirking as his face hovered right above hers. Sif would have retorted, but it was hard to do so when his finger was prodding her clit as pleasantly as it was. She could only gasp his name, one hand on his chest while the other clawed at his flank.

“D-damn you…” she moaned, her hips shifting so her core would brush against his palm.

It was beyond exciting for Loki to have her underneath him, shuddering violently against his deft touch, moaning and sighing in bliss. His manhood was hardening with every sound that poured from her, and he kissed her exposed throat softly once she threw her head back in utmost pleasure. He needed her, desperately. She had been his unattainable dream, ever beyond his reach and for him to only watch at a distance, never to touch, never to speak to, never to hope their roles and lives would shift from what they had been when they were children. Never to wish she might forgive him for his long past transgressions…

But maybe she already had forgiven him. Maybe she had put all their prejudices behind, once they were free from the limitations of their childhood and teenage experiences, free from the mistaken beliefs they ascribed to when they were too young to know better. Maybe the universe where they could be together wasn’t something for him just to imagine… it was real now, solid and true, and he was basking in it right now as he pushed her panties down slowly, the fabric caressing her curves smoothly and leading her to shiver with arousal.

“Loki…” she gasped, as he took one more kiss from her lips and started to climb down her body, smirking mischievously at her. “W-what are you…? Loki…”

“You know just what I’m doing, my dear…” he whispered, kissing her pelvis. Her body jolted, excitement coursing through her body wildly.

“L-Loki!” she cried out, as he spread her legs, breathing deeply as he prepared for his upcoming endeavor.

“Oh, I’m going to enjoy this,” he whispered, his smirk widening.

She was speechless, all coherent thoughts gone from her mind when he pressed his lips to her clit. The soft kiss was enough to send rushes of arousal all over her body, and she threw her head back brusquely. The tip of his tongue trailed her folds in painfully slow teasing that drove her to fist his hair and push his face to her groin. Loki chuckled, his mouth fully wrapped around her hot clit now, and he sucked gently to make her cry out again. That he would be able to bring these sounds out of her filled him with joy and pride. He meant to ensure her prolonged enjoyment of his ministrations, for as long as he could provide her with them.

He started rather slowly, but he boosted his speed progressively. Her pleasure aroused him, and he tasted her with need, with the mind-numbing urge to devour her in the best ways he knew how. In fact, he would gladly experiment and discover new ways to do it with her, if she’d allow it…

His endless teasing of her clit kept Sif’s head spinning, her eyesight blurry. Her legs were as wide open as could be, and her hips thrusted upwards to his face, needing all of him right now. His tongue continued to weave wonders over her sensitive skin, and she wondered if maybe this was the secret ability of Loki’s sharp tongue… if this was its secondary skill, she found she didn’t care about all of his silver-tongue’s cutting comments anymore.

“Don’t stop, Loki…!” she gasped, her grip on his hair growing stronger. Loki hummed against her.

“Didn’t plan to, Sif…” he whispered, his breath against her wet skin.

She gasped and he dove in again, alternating between sucking and licking her, which only made her cry out louder, lost in her cocoon of pleasure as she was. Her longing for him grew more urgent with each passing moment, and he seemed to realize it, for his assault on her tender core grew more powerful. He was overwhelming her, giving rise to her arousal gradually, but with certainty…

“M-more, more, Loki…! Ah, please…!” she cried out, shaking and thrusting against him. Loki welcomed it all, his hands clasping her thighs hard while his mouth worked on her at his very best.

She was shameless in her orgasm, just as she had been in her quest for it. She moaned and urged him to go on, to not stop, and he complied as her entire body shivered wildly in the throes of excitement. She couldn’t have enough of what he was doing to her, and he couldn’t have enough of it either. He didn’t stop until he felt her grip on his hair weaken, and his licking and sucking finally ended to give way to one last soft kiss on her swollen, sensitive nub. Her chest was rising and falling heavily, and Loki smirked as he watched her lying on the bed before him, her eyes closed, her cheeks fully flushed, beads of sweat crowning her forehead and the underside of her breasts.

“You’re beautiful” he said, kissing her abdomen softly. She answered softly, amid her heavy panting.

“After this? Really?” she asked, smiling a little. “You’re… you’re probably visually impaired. I’ve never looked less graceful…”

“I beg to differ,” he said, smirking and kissing his way back to her neck. Sif chuckled.

“You’re insane, Loki…” she said, caressing his hair and lifting his chin to kiss him. “And I may need your kind of insanity in my life…”

Loki laughed into the kiss, his body pressing against hers. She let her hands caress his strong back, sighing blissfully at how fit he was, and reaching his waist to push his boxers down. Loki shrugged them off with some difficulty, but by the time he was done with it Sif had found his hard cock and wrapped her hand around it. Loki groaned.

“Well, this is nice, but…” he said, smiling weakly. “I would much rather be inside you now.”

“Oh, would you now?” Sif asked, teasingly. “Are you asking for permission?”

“I’m asking if you’d rather keep me in your hand or let me fuck you instead,” he replied, pressing his lips to hers again.

“Hmmm, what a complicated decision to make…” she whispered teasingly. Loki smirked.

“Is it, now…?” he said, as she shifted on the bed, her legs spread, her opening ready to take in his full length.

“Enough teasing now, you Trickster, you…” she said into his ear, pressing his cock’s head to her opening.

“No one had called me that in a very long time,” Loki muttered, smiling weakly before kissing Sif, hard.

She sank on the mattress under the power of his kiss, and his manhood slid inside her quickly, providing her with a burst of pleasure as her walls reacted to the pressure against them. Her nails dug into his arms, but Loki scarcely registered the pain. He kept kissing her, leading her moans to pour into him. His hips swayed in slow circles, each thrust met by her own as she moaned and gasped, overwhelmed with pleasure.

He held himself up in place, his face hovering above hers as his hands held him upright, each at either side of her body. It was her turn to caress himl, running her hands over his abdomen, his chest, his strong shoulders. He kept kissing her, and she responded in kind each time, paired with countless moans of her own. Her caresses moved to his back, his flanks, his waist, his rear. And with her hands firmly planted on each buttock, she pushed him further inside her, encouraging him to go deeper and faster yet. Loki complied, his impulses to tease her long behind him. He needed to carry on, to reach the ultimate goal with her. His breath was heavy as he panted, and it mingled with hers as she moaned, their foreheads pressed together whenever their lips weren’t.

The frenzy of heat and passion rose to new levels for them both. They had certainly hoped for this sort of extraordinary sex before being interrupted by that phone call at Loki’s house, but making it happen now was beyond thrilling. Their bodies matched perfectly, and there was an easy comfort in this sort of intimacy between them that they were complete strangers to. It was as though they should have always been sharing in each other’s company in this blissful way…

She kissed him roughly, feeling the surge of arousal leading her to her peak once more. Loki groaned, speeding up in his thrusts and prompting Sif to gasp and moan at his rhythm, clutching at him harder yet. Her hips met his, doing her best to keep up with him, but she was far too sensitive, far too aroused to keep her next climax at bay for much longer. She kissed Loki and her moans were released directly into his mouth as he pounded away, her walls squeezing his cock.

He gasped for breath and kept going just briefly before the delightful sensations around his shaft destroyed his willpower. He couldn’t hold back anymore, as much as he wanted to, for he would love to treasure this moment just a little longer. But he gave in, reaching his peak and shuddering in her arms as he felt weaker, as his body was overtaken by rushing blasts of arousal that sent tingles of warmth all over his body.

It was over too fast for his taste, and he collapsed atop her once it was. She embraced his waist, and she breathed heavily as she gazed at him with amazement. Their bodies had yet to be disengaged.

“Told you… we’d finish what we’d started,” she said, a slow smile spreading over her face. Loki chuckled and kissed her throat.

“Indeed… you always have an answer for everything,” he  whispered. “And more often than not, it’s the right one.”

“I’m glad you think so,” she said, beaming and hugging him tightly.

All thoughts of pushing the beds together went forgotten as they rolled comfortably into the sheets. They didn’t need more room, not when they were planning on cuddling all night, as they rested at ease in each other’s arms.

* * *

The sun had risen, as weakly as it did during winter, but it wasn’t enough to stir either of the two sleeping lovers. It wasn’t until her hunger alerted her that Sif opened her eyes and groaned in annoyance. She had been sleeping more comfortably than ever, nestling in Loki’s warm embrace, his legs wrapped around hers and…

Her eyes widened, and she raised her eyes to look at him.

She was in Loki’s arms indeed. They were both fully naked, and the numbness on her womb reminded her both that he had filled her completely, and that he had granted her quite a number of delectable orgasms…

She couldn’t hold back the blush that rushed to her cheeks as her rational side made her wonder if she had lost her mind. As much as she had found Loki likeable, more than ever before, perhaps too likeable to resist, she probably should have held onto some of her dignity for a little longer. Wasn’t it ridiculous, for her to jump into bed with him on the spot, after seeing him for the first time in little over a decade? And when she hadn’t even considered him as a lover, to boot…

Then again, he had always been handsome, with those mysteriously alluring qualities to him. Loki was always that kind of man that made her wish she could read his mind and know what he was thinking. Ever as conniving, ever as clever, and ever deep in thought. As much as she had never decided to unravel him, she had always been slightly curious about him, at least as teenagers. That curiosity had returned tenfold, if not more so, when they met again. Old grudges were easier to set aside after time had eroded them into mere carcasses of what they had been. She still had a lot to discover about the man sharing this small bed with her, but everything she’d learned about him so far had been beyond agreeable…

Would he remain just as gentlemanly now, after he’d obtained what he surely had thought about for a very long time? Sif hoped so. She knew better than to keep her hopes too high, but even so…

One of his arms released her suddenly, and she was startled until she felt his fingertips touching her face gently. She lifted her gaze to his face, finding he still had his eyes closed, but his parted lips were starting to form a smile. The more he caressed her, the more honest that grin became. And the stronger her blush grew, too.

“Good morning, lover boy,” she said, teasingly. Loki laughed softly, pressing his forehead to hers.

“I’m afraid of opening my eyes…” he whispered. She snorted.

“How come?” she asked, caressing his chest. “Afraid you’ll find I’m not half as attractive as you thought I was when you were extremely horny?”

“Rather, afraid I’ll find this was only the most delightful dream and that, in reality, I’m still alone and bored in my Chicago home…” he confessed, his nose prodding hers. Sif smiled.

“Then maybe I can make sure your dream lasts a little longer, can’t I?” she said, the hands on his chest moving to cup his face.

Her lips pressed to his gently, but he deepened the contact thoughtlessly right away. Sif smiled into the kiss and rolled on top of him, her legs tangled with his. Loki’s remarkable kiss was leaving her breathless, and she basked in it until they both broke away, in dire need for air.

At last he opened his eyes, and his smile grew brighter yet as he gazed at her. Sif snorted and shook her head, smiling fondly too.

“You don’t have to look at me like that, damn you…” she said. “Who knew you could make that sort of cute face, huh?”

“I… cute?” he asked, smiling awkwardly. “Well, that’s certainly embarrassing. I’m sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, I just…”

“It doesn’t make me that uncomfortable, it just makes me want to kiss you just like this for the rest of the day… which sounds a little counterproductive since I want to eat, too,” she admitted, smirking. Loki laughed.

“Maybe we can take short breaks for you to eat, if you really need them,” he said, pushing himself to a sitting position and bringing her up with him. “But keep in mind we’ll only be stopping for your sake, if you ever want to complain over shortages of kisses…”

“Oh, please. If I need more kisses I’ll just steal them from you,” said Sif, smirking with mischief as she surrounded his neck with her arms. Loki raised his eyebrows.

“Even when we’re on the road?” he asked.

“Especially when we’re on the road. Don’t you know I’m utterly reckless, Loki…?” she asked, kissing his cheek and chuckling softly. He bit his lip.

“Well, after you almost let the ‘cunt-sprayer’ go free back in New York, I think I’ve already understood just how reckless you can be.”

“Good. You shouldn’t be too surprised if I steal kisses whenever I want, then,” she said, and on cue, she leaned in to kiss his lips once more. Loki groaned happily.

“Good morning to you too, Sif,” he said, hugging her tightly and burying his face in her neck.

They took a full half hour to prepare to leave the room, mostly delaying their stay due to scarcely controllable impulses that led them to kiss and touch each other as often as they could. Taking their hands off the other was a feat in itself, one they had trouble achieving. Even as they climbed down to the front door, they did it hand in hand.

“I don’t think we’ve thought about just how many hours we’ve let slip by us this morning…” said Loki, glancing at Sif sideways as she settled on her seat in the car. Their breakfast had been full of saturated fats, with everything as fried as could be, which seemed a tradition of the inn they had stayed at. Loki had only kept himself from worrying over detoxing his body from it all by focusing on Sif instead.

“Ah, well, all things considered Thor shouldn’t be in this much trouble,” said Sif. “It’s his own fault he got himself there, right?”

“I certainly suspect it must be,” said Loki, smiling.

“Then he shouldn’t mind being a little more patient with us,” she said, grinning at him. Loki’s smile grew more mischievous as he set in first gear and took off, on his way to the long roads that would lead them to their destination.

“The more we get to know each other, the more you prove you’re about as wicked as I am, Sif,” he said, proudly. Sif smirked and caressed his hand on the gear shift.

“Let’s hope that means we’re a good match, then,” she said.

He didn’t think they were a good one, he was actually convinced they were a great one, if not a perfect one. He hadn’t thought he’d ever connect with her to this degree, but he was overjoyed by it. His thumb caressed her finger gently as he sped up a little, the snowy highways spreading before them.

If they had been determined to make good time, and to make the road trip as short as could be, they would have arrived in Las Vegas in around three or four days. But their needs and urges led them to cut their daily journeys short, as it happened when they were making good time for arriving into Nevada, but they stopped at Cedar City in Utah to extend their journey for at least one more night. The sights were wonderful, the conversations delightful, and even their brief stops just for short breaks had been slices of pure bliss for them both. Strangely, as skeptical as they had been about the Holiday season, it seemed this was the most enjoyable one they had experienced in their lives.

It wasn’t easy to find an inn this time, for it was already New Year’s Eve, but fortunately the room they found was well furnished and cleaned, with the appropriate double bed they had expected in every inn they stopped at. They made good use of it right away, their bodies already fully adapted to each other: they were panting heavily two hours later, their fingers intertwined and lips seeking the other as they shivered pleasantly, their climaxes’ aftershocks subsiding.

“Oh, this only gets better and better, damn you…” Sif sighed, smirking as she huddled closer to Loki. He snickered.

“It was my pleasure,” he said, kissing her fingers softly. “If you’re not too tired, I might be able to provide again shortly…”

“I look forward to it,” said Sif, watching him with amusement.

“I really expected us to be more tired today, though, but I’m glad we’re not,” he said, settling on the bed while keeping an arm around her shoulders. “I suppose we could have reached Vegas if we had tried, but…”

“We would have arrived at two in the morning, right?” said Sif. “It was around ten when we finally stopped here, wasn’t it…?”

“I… don’t think so,” said Loki, frowning. “It’s New Year’s Eve, so we would have heard the celebrations by now if it was already midnight.”

“What? Really, now?” Sif asked. Loki reached out to look at his phone, and he snorted as he saw the time.

“No wonder we’re not tired. It seems we found this inn around seven, not ten,” he said, smirking and showing her that it was only nine right now. Sif raised her eyebrows.

“Blame that on winter’s short days and long nights, then. I thought it far too dark by the time we stopped... so we were confused. Yes, that’s what happened,” she declared, throwing an arm around his waist and huddling up against him.

“Indeed. It wasn’t that we were too horny to keep driving, or that we wanted to spend at least one more night together,” said Loki, smirking knowingly. Sif shook her head.

“Such ridiculous notions, Loki, really… do you believe us that irresponsible?” she said, sarcastically. She smirked back at him and he laughed, kissing the top of her head.

They showered together, needing it just as direly as they had needed to join together in bed as soon as they arrived. After drying up and sinking together in the bed again, Loki was flipping through the channels of television while sighing in momentary boredom. He would rather they picked up from where they had left off right away, but he feared that would make them fall asleep before the year ended. It was the first time he would have the chance to kiss Sif on midnight, and he wasn’t letting that opportunity go to waste.

“Reruns and movie marathons everywhere,” he said, skipping on to the next channel as Sif groaned and cuddled against him. “Anything you’d like to see?”

“I guess not. Maybe just leave the news, that should show us when the ball drops, right?” she said.

Loki did as asked, muting the TV and gazing down at her as she took in the massive numbers of people gathered in Times Square’s famous New Year’s celebration.

“Have you ever been out there?” he asked. “In the middle of the crowds, trying to keep chaos from unfolding as you do your job…”

“Twice. Had to do it last year, it wasn’t a lot of fun but it was a perfectly good alibi to keep my mother off my case…” she whispered. Loki frowned.

“I take it she wanted you home for the holidays?” he asked. She shrugged.

“Something like that” she muttered half-heartedly, her face against his chest.

He didn’t press on, despite feeling rather curious about what she hadn’t said. He remembered her parents, and he knew she had never gotten along easily with her mother, but he knew that something would have to bother Sif greatly if she refused to return home this year. Still, he wouldn’t force her to tell him. He understood how troubling it could be to have deep rifts with a parent.

Yet as he stroked her hair gently, watching some music performance on Times Square, she surprised him by finally speaking out.

“My mother is ridiculously old-fashioned,” she said. “Maybe you remember that about her… well, if you paid her any attention, of course.”

“I did,” said Loki, nodding. “And I remember as much. A traditionalist, I’d say…”

“As such a traditionalist, most my life’s decisions have horrified her,” said Sif. “She wanted a daughter very different from what she got. I’d hoped that she’d wrap her mind about me being so career-oriented one day, but she never changed her mind. She has always wanted me to be as family-oriented as she was, and… I never wanted that for myself. It’s not that I refuse to marry or have a family, but… I don’t want that to be all that my destiny entails, you know?”

“I think I do,” said Loki, frowning. “Was this all, though? Did you have an argument about it, or…?”

“We’ve had lots, but… she stepped over a line last year. When she called me to go home for Christmas she mentioned that some friends of hers were coming over, which wasn’t a problem until she said she was hoping to set me up with this son of her friends, some dude named Haldor?”

Loki’s frown deepened. Sif sighed.

“Who knows, maybe that guy was meant to be the love of my life,” she whispered. “But I didn’t care to know if he was or wasn’t. I… I want a life of my own, to have the right to choose who I go out with, to introduce them to my family rather than the other way around. Isn’t that how it should be? Can’t she even trust me to find someone who’s good for me? Why does she think that she’s the one who knows what’s best for me?”

“It seems mothers tend to be that way. Though I can’t blame you at all for being upset,” said Loki, rubbing her arm with his gentle caresses. “You should be able to choose whoever you’d like to spend your life with, whether it’s this Haldor or someone else.”

“Honestly, I refuse to let it be that Haldor,” said Sif, stubbornly. “I’m tired of how she tries to keep tabs on how I live my life, and I don’t know how to tell my mother to give me some space. So I just…”

“Forced the space, in a sense,” Loki whispered. Sif nodded.

“I don’t know what else to do. She can’t trust me to live my life, and I can’t trust her to respect the way I want to live it. It’s an impasse, one that I don’t know how to overcome…”

“It’s a shame,” Loki whispered, kissing the top of her head. “Here I hoped I was the only one with such issues with his parents… well, with only one of them, really. But I had hoped…”

“That I wouldn’t have such problems with mine? Sadly, I do,” said Sif. “And I know it’s not the worst kind of trouble, but I just don’t want to spend the Holidays being yelled at by my mother because she’s desperate to have grandchildren and frustrated that I’m not giving her any”

“Can’t she ask your older brother instead? Heimdall, was it?” Loki asked, raising an eyebrow. He knew next to nothing about Sif’s half-brother, aside from the strange rumors about his parentage that he couldn’t make heads or tails out of.

“Somehow she has never come to that conclusion. Maybe he’s just not a family disappointment, unlike me?” she said. Loki sighed.

“You’re not one. If your mother isn’t proud of the great woman you’ve become, then she’s the real disappointment, not you.”

Sif blinked and looked at him in surprise. Loki returned the stare, honesty gleaming in his blue eyes.

“If she can judge you, you can judge her. I know it’s a weird notion, but… it certainly makes life easier when you realize your parents are only human,” he said. Sif raised an eyebrow.

“Did you realize that when you fought with your father?” she whispered. Loki’s face hardened and she recoiled. “I… probably shouldn’t ask. I know it’s probably foolish of me to complain about my mom being a pain in the ass when you and Odin had such a… well, conflict.”

“Did anyone ever tell you what it was about?” Loki asked. Sif shook her head. “Care to guess?”

“I… I’d rather not” she said, clenching her jaw. Loki sighed.

“It’s not that hard, really. It’s actually quite obvious when you think about it,” he said. “If anything, I always suspected it and I’m sure everyone around me did, too. It’s no chance that I looked nothing like any of them…”

Sif felt as though she’d swallowed freezing water, a cold chill spreading all over inside her. Well, it was obvious, yes. Loki certainly was similar to his mother in some regards of personality, but it was because of how he had been raised. Physically, he was completely different from the rest of his family.

“So… you found out you were adopted?” she whispered. Loki sighed heavily, his face dark, his eyes colder. Sif lowered her head, a hand on his chest, over his fast-beating heart.

“It wouldn’t have mattered if I had known all along,” he whispered. “I would have understood I was different from Thor, I would have known why he was Odin’s favorite right away, I….”

“Loki…” said Sif, looking at him remorsefully. “You should have been no different, regardless of whether you were adopted or not.”

“But I was,” said Loki, his colder eyes now filled with passionate frustration. “I… I never fit in with him. It had nothing to do with mother, she… she did her very best. I owe her more than I could say. And Thor, foolish as he may be, always treated me like his brother. But Odin… I never understood why, regardless of how much better my grades were compared to Thor’s, he would always choose him to teach him everything he believed he’d need to know to succeed him in his businesses. Why never me? Why didn’t the thought so much as occur to him, why not split his companies in half, let me take one share and Thor the other?

“I had to fill in some forms for my application for law school. I was getting a scholarship, but I needed to turn in those forms, and… and as I looked for all the papers I needed, I found a Certificate of Adoption. Of course, it was my name on it. I… I lost it.”

Sif sighed and pressed closer to him. Loki’s eyes were marred with sadness now, too.

“I’ve forced myself not to think of that day too often,” he whispered. “It’s all a whirlwind now, really. I can scarcely remember it in detail. But Odin and I said things, countless of them, and… and in the end I left, determined never to go back. He had never truly loved me as he loved Thor, never cared to have me inherit anything important for him. The Odinson legacy was for Thor to uphold, not me.”

“If it makes you feel any better, even your brother doesn’t seem too interested in upholding it these days,” said Sif. “He’s a lot more interested in having fun lately. Your father isn’t too pleased, but…”

“Good. Maybe that way he’ll learn,” said Loki, sighing and sinking into the bed. “He was forcing a destiny on Thor much like your mother wanted to do the same to you. And he refused to even offer a similar fate to me, to consider that maybe I wanted to belong in the family even if I stuck out like a sore thumb…”

“A lot of us feel that way. Maybe fitting in isn’t all that’s made out to be,” said Sif, looking at him hopefully. Loki stared back at her.

“Whether it is or isn’t, maybe misfits like us suit each other because we stick out, huh?” he said, caressing her cheek. She offered him a weak grin.

“Maybe,” she said. Loki smiled. “Still, I really hope you know that… Thor was very worried about you when you left, and so was Frigga.”

Loki’s smile faded away. Sif bit her lip.

“I can’t speak for Odin, I seldom see him at all, but… I know they did care,” she said. “Thor even tried looking for you during the first few months… when they heard from you again they were so thrilled they could hardly hold back their joy. But I guess Thor… he probably was afraid that you wouldn’t want to see him. If he knew why you and your father fought, he probably thought everything was his fault somehow…”

“It wasn’t,” said Loki, closing his eyes. “And if he’s turning his back on Odin’s company just because of me, he’s making a mistake. It won’t make anything change, because I’ve already forged my own life elsewhere. I’ve proven I don’t need him or his hand-me-downs…”

“If you’ve proven yourself, why didn’t you seek your mother and brother out before?” Sif asked, worried. “Were you…?”

“Scared? Somewhat,” he admitted, with a sigh. Sif’s arms tightened around him. “I didn’t think they would forgive me…”

“I don’t know if they thought there was anything to forgive in the first place,” said Sif. Loki sighed.

“Which is what makes me an even worse son and brother, isn’t it? It’s a challenge, figuring out how to look them in the eye and say that… that I was wrong to leave them and cut off all contact as I did. That I…”

Sif caressed his chest as he breathed deeply. Uttering the end of the sentence proved harder than he’d expected.

“That I missed them,” he said, softly.

Sif gritted her teeth. Their escape from the pressures and frustrations with their families had taken their toll on them: loneliness had plagued them for a very long time, and it had afflicted Loki in more ways than Sif had expected. She had a powerful urge to stay wrapped around him forever, to not let him go at all, to make sure he would never be lonely again…

But she knew that she couldn’t help him single-handedly. She didn’t want to, either. If she was going to help Loki overcome his struggles with his family, which she was very much willing to do now, she had to encourage him to see his brother again. Even if it meant their blissful road trip would have to come to an end soon.

“They missed you too,” she whispered. “And they don’t think half as badly of you as you may think. You are still worthy of them, fully. You are still loved by them. And who knows? Maybe… maybe time and distance have made Odin change his mind. Maybe one day, the two of you…”

“Hopefully the same will be true for you and your mother,” said Loki, caressing her hair. “I hope she can come to accept your life’s choices… including dying your hair as you do. Truth be told, it suits you wonderfully, but I remember she didn’t agree. She always was a traditionalist…”

“Ugh, well, she really wasn’t pleased at all by my hair, but…” she said, sighing and looking at him with uncertainty. “You do think it suits me?”

“You were always beautiful. But now our hair color matches, so I’m all the happier,” said Loki, smiling and pressing his forehead to hers. Sif smiled. “It’s quite a rebellious thing, being born blonde and dying your hair black when most people tend to do the opposite-”

“I just like black better than blonde,” said Sif, caressing his hair as well.

“Lucky me. Else you might have had a thing for Thor after all,” said Loki, with a smirk. Sif laughed.

“I’m happy to have one for his brother,” she said, stroking his cheek gently and kissing his lips “Loki…”

“Hmm?” he said, unwilling to break the kiss.

“I’m just… thinking we shouldn’t just let things end this way, right?” she said. Loki raised an eyebrow. “I mean… I was a fool to never approach you when we were young, but I’d be a bigger fool yet if I just… took this as a one-week adventure and left it as it is. At least, I think it’d be a waste…”

“You too?” Loki asked, smiling warmly. Sif sighed in relief at his reaction. “I was wondering how to ask you if… if we could try to see each other again later on. Maybe I can visit New York sometimes, whenever I have some time off…”

“It’d be harder for me to go to Chicago, admittedly, but I could still try,” said Sif, looking at him hopefully. Loki smiled.

“Are you really as taken with me as to wish for this…?” he said, prodding her nose with his. Sif snorted.

“Look who’s talking. Wasn’t I your childhood crush, Loki?” she asked, smirking. “All those leers in our teenage years… I thought they meant you hated me, but if your story is true…”

“How could you think I…? Oh, well, maybe the signs weren’t that obvious, but still,” he said, smirking in disbelief. “I just couldn’t get my eyes off of you whenever you were around. That’s the truth of it.”

Sif chuckled and pressed against him. His arms were tight around her, and he kissed her temples softly.

“So yes, I’m just as taken with you,” he confessed. “And I agree… we’d be fools if we let this end so easily.”

Sif smiled and kissed him again. His lips trapped hers, keeping her from ending the kiss too quickly, and soon he was holding her against him, their heated breaths crashing between each peck of their lips. Hands trailed the other’s familiar, well-explored body, and they sought every place in their bodies that they knew would make the other lose their mind to excitement and bliss.

Fireworks were setting off in the dark of the night, and people shouted in joy to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. And as the TV’s lights danced around them, the ball drop portrayed on the screen, two souls bonded together fully in their deep, intimate exchange, bodies linked as one amid the joyful celebrations.

Only a few more blasts were heard in the sky by the time they were falling asleep again, curled together in bed, his arms surrounding her from behind. Sif couldn’t help but smile, fingers intertwined with his. She had never been as comfortable with anyone as she was right now. She had never opened up to anyone like this - even when she had shared some of her strife with her mother with Thor, he had mostly laughed it off and told her not to worry, that surely her mother meant no harm. But she had never spoken to someone who understood, and Loki did: they both found the futures they had been chasing, and years of distance between them had brought them together to find that maybe they could share in the other’s future, too.

Sif wished they could. She genuinely hoped so.

So she relaxed against his chest, closing her eyes, still smiling in bliss as the New Year began in a bright way for them both.

* * *

 

Bright lights, picturesque people, colors and tall buildings on end. Las Vegas was a sight to behold, and although they had been raised in California, both Loki and Sif were slightly taken aback by the exaggerated cheer that permeated the city. They had arrived around noon, and the streets were littered with garbage and drunk people who had indulged in New Year celebrations as they pleased. Loki did his best to ignore them as Sif steered the car towards the Four Queens, following the directions Google Maps had given them.

“Well… it’s right around this corner,” said Sif, looking for a place to park. “Are you ready?”

“I only hope he is,” said Loki. Sif had succeeded in her search, moving the car into an open spot. “I haven’t scolded my brother in a very long time…”

“I’m sure he looks forward to it,” said Sif, smiling warmly at him. Loki grinned back. “You’ll be okay, Loki. I’m with you, every step of the way.”

“Here I thought you were here to help him face me, not the other way around,” said Loki, raising his eyebrows. Sif chuckled. “But I’m certainly grateful to have you with me, yes.”

“And I plan to be, no matter what,” she said, leaning close and kissing his lips. “Let’s go, then. Thor must have been waiting too long.”

“I certainly hope he won’t resent us for it,” said Loki, with a weak smile.

They made their way to the casino, hearts pounding as they walked side by side. Her hand found his to reassure him, and Loki wondered just how shocked Thor would be to see the two of them holding hands. Sif actually looked forward to his reaction.

“Welcome to the Four Queens, may we interest you in…?” started the doorman, when Sif and Loki made their way to the casino’s entrance. Loki lifted his free hand to stop him from talking.

“I am Loki Odinson. I was called around five days ago, my brother was said to be stuck in your dungeons, or whatever they are…” he said, nonchalantly. Sif held back the urge to laugh as she looked at him skeptically.

The doorman frowned but he ushered them inside. He led them through the vestibule, where people were already busy playing and gambling as they could, surely losing far more money than they were gaining. Sif watched with slight interest, but Loki barely paid them any mind as they were led before the security staff.

“This man here, he says he’s come for some guy, uh, his brother? Odinson?” said the doorman to one of the security officials. He was at least a head taller than Loki, but the confused look on his face made him a lot less daunting than he could have been.

“Odinson?” he asked. Loki’s stomach sank.

“I was called from here. I was told that…” he said, growing anxious. The official scratched his head and moved to a computer.

“If he was here, he may have been during another shift…” he said. Loki’s eyes widened.

“You mean… he’s not here anymore?” he asked. The official shrugged as the doorman returned to his post.

“Sorry, sir, but… our cell is currently empty,” he said. “Has been for a few days. Maybe your brother’s been bailed out?”

The blood slowed in his body, as a rush of anger and coldness took hold of Loki. Someone bailing Thor out of trouble, someone who had enough money to silence anyone who might have blabbed about Thor’s legal record… someone who had something to gain by keeping Thor’s reputation stark-clean. His free hand clenched into a fist.

“Loki…” said Sif, looking at him in concern. “Calm down, this isn’t…”

“This isn’t what? The same as always?” Loki snapped. “Unless this was merely a prank call all along, then the only possibility is that he was bailed out by him, for the thousandth time! I can’t believe this. I can’t believe it! I thought maybe after all this time he would have stopped looking after him as he would a child, but it doesn’t matter that Thor’s over thirty now, he’d gladly still wipe his ass if he only…!”

“Uh… excuse me, Mr. Odinson?” said the security official. Loki turned his enraged eyes at him.

“What?!”

“Your brother was here, yes,” he said, nodding. “As I thought, not on my shift. He was bailed out.”

Loki cursed under his breath and Sif gritted her teeth. Calming Loki down after this would not be easy…

“But not by a man, if that’s what you thought.”

Loki’s rage, and Sif’s concern, froze in place as they turned to look at the official. The man blinked blankly as he read the name written on Thor’s report.

“The bail was paid off by… one Jane Foster. Ring any bells?”

“No,” said both Loki and Sif simultaneously, looking at one another in confusion. Who was that?

“Well, I don’t know. I’ll call Brett, he handled the case,” said the official, pulling out his cellphone and dialing a number. He stood up and paced slowly on the corridor as he spoke into the phone, while Loki inched forward, trying to glance at the screen from where he stood.

“Loki…” said Sif, berating him softly as he frowned in confusion.

“It wasn’t Odin. It wasn’t…” he said. Sif shrugged.

“Maybe he did lose his patience with him, after all?” she asked. Loki sighed.

“I’m not holding my breath,” he replied. “But who is this woman? Jane Foster…”

“She’s certainly new. Thor has mentioned the girls he dates, but that’s not a name I’d heard before,” Sif said, rubbing her chin in deep thought.

“Maybe he picked her up at the casino’s bar, she thought he was harassing her, called security, then released him when she realized he wasn’t quite the thug he looks like?” Loki said, with a sarcastic grin. Sif huffed.

“Loki, really. A thug?” she asked. Loki shrugged.

“If he’s still as muscular as he used to be, maybe she thought he was one,” he said. Sif snorted and shook her head.

“I’m pretty sure there must be another explanation. Maybe it was some misunderstanding?”

“He hit the jackpot and broke the casino’s systems?” said Loki, smirking weakly. “There’s a movie that goes along those lines.”

“I’ve seen it, it’s not as easy as that and I’m positive Thor isn’t about to rob a casino, damn it, Loki,” said Sif, rolling her eyes. Loki shrugged.

“Sif, dear, there’s no way of knowing what crosses my brother’s mind,” he muttered. “He was supposed to go from California to Chicago and somehow he ended up in Vegas. Can you really blame me for keeping my mind open to all scenarios?”

“I’m not blaming you, I’m just…”

“Okay…” said the official, turning to look at Sif and Loki again. “Bret says the girl showed up suddenly, said she wanted to pay the bail, they took off together. She was like… what, half his height?”

“Not hard to be, he’s too tall,” said Sif, softly.

“A brunette, straight hair? She said she was a doctor?” said Bret. The more he described her, the more confused Sif grew.

“A doctor? Not a supermodel, an actress…?”

“Nope, said it was a doctor,” said Bret, shrugging. Sif snorted.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Where do you think Thor would have picked up a doctor from?” Sif asked Loki, who was staring into the horizon, wide-eyed.

“I have no idea, but in a sense, it’s good to hear. Maybe his tastes have refined a little since he dated that high school girlfriend of his, Amora…”

“Anyways, we don’t know much about where they are, so I recommend you just… call them.” said Bret, looking at them apologetically. “Here’s her number, she supplied us with it. Hope you find them before they do something crazy.”

“Like what?” said Sif, as she registered Jane’s number on her phone.

“Gee, lady, everyone does crazy and stupid things with strangers here. This is Vegas, remember?” said the official, smiling. “Least harmful thing they could do is have a one-night-stand, but if it goes any further who knows? Maybe they’ve tattooed each other’s face on their bodies by now, and if they’re still in the city they’re probably going to end up in the Little Chapel next…”

“The WHAT?!” Loki exclaimed.

“Y-you mean that weird, famous place where people can get married with next to no restrictions?” Sif asked. “I… I thought those marriage licenses weren’t legal…”

“Says who? Totally legal, lady! You can bet on it. Your husband and you should probably run there if you want to stop your brother from marrying a girl he just met… though who knows? You might already be late…”

“Okay, that’s about enough of that. We’re going, now,” said Loki, wide-eyed. He clasped Sif’s hand and nodded in the official’s direction. “Thank you for your cooperation.”

“Sure thing! Good luck!” said the man, waving at them as they rushed back through the gaming hall, their eyes set on the exit doors.

They jumped on the car again, as Sif raced through Google Map’s options in horror. There were too many chapels, were they supposed to search through them all?

“Loki, there’s… there’s at least seven chapels nearby. Which one are we going to check?” Sif asked, wide-eyed. Loki huffed.

“Whichever’s most famous. Any of them sound familiar?” he asked. “There’s one that famous people go to, if my brother is still my brother, regardless of his sudden taste for doctors, then surely…”

“Okay, okay, uhh… Little White Wedding Chapel?” she asked. “It’s the one from Friends, lots of famous people have been married there, according to Wikipedia…”

“Then there we go,” said Loki, pulling out and speeding back to the Las Vegas Boulevard.

But after Sif instructed him she stared at another, closer chapel. The Graceland Wedding Chapel, known for weddings performed by Elvis impersonators…?

“Stop!” she exclaimed, just as Loki was about to speed past it. He hit the brakes brusquely.

“What?!” he said, his eyes wide.

“Elvis impersonators officiate the weddings here,” she said, pointing at the chapel. “It’s… it’s ridiculous. It sounds perfect for Thor.”

“Are you sure?” Loki asked. Sif nodded. He sighed. “Well, at any rate we’ll just ask if any Odinsons got married there recently…”

“And you think they’ll just tell you?” Sif asked, raising her eyebrows in disbelief. Loki shrugged as he pulled over in front of the chapel.

“I’m a lawyer. It’s my job to make people say things they may not want to,” he said, smirking a little as he parked the car. Sif’s jaw dropped.

“What the…? What do you mean by that, Loki?!” she exclaimed, as he pushed the door open and climbed off the car. She groaned and followed suit, glancing at him over the car’s roof. “Loki, are you seriously planning on, I don’t know, manipulating these people into talking about whoever got married here? If people come to Vegas to elope secretly, these people probably are bound by countless clauses of secrecy and…”

“It’s not a problem,” Loki said. “Trust me, Sif. I can handle this.”

“Oh, because you’re trained to break the law and just do as you please? Loki, you need a warrant, or something like that, if you really mean to…”

“Please Sif,” he said, rolling his eyes as they climbed to the front door. “We have no time for that. We’re looking into Thor’s possible wedding, and if there’s nothing to be found here we’ll go to the next chapel. There’s too many of them and we need to find Thor as soon as possible. Skipping a few rules in the process is nothing to worry about.”

“But Loki… oh, Loki Odinson, you’re unbelievable, you…!” she exclaimed, just as Loki swung the door open with a sigh.

“You should stop being so difficult, get the police officer chip out of your head for a couple of hours and let me do what I…” he said, turning to her just as the receptionist stood up.

“Did you say… Odinson?” asked the man.

Sif’s eyebrow twitched as she took in the Elvis impersonator behind the desk. Loki only turned to him, a charming smile on his face as he hoped to coax all necessary answers from the chapel’s employee.

“Why, yes. Good day to you,” he said. “I am Loki Odinson, and…”

“Oh, it was about time!” said the receptionist, releasing a deep breath. “We’ve been waiting for around an hour for you and your fiancée! You called us yesterday to make that ceremony reservation, and…”

Loki raised his eyebrows with interest as the man rambled, while Sif’s jaw dropped lower yet. Not only was Loki successfully getting all sorts of information from the receptionist, but Thor had been capable of calling the establishment to make a ceremony reservation, yet couldn’t be bothered to answer her calls or texts? Her irritation made her scowl, but Loki was only smirking proudly.

“... You have no witnesses, though, but we can work without that either way. Follow me, then, and we will get to it right a-...!”

“No, no,” said Loki, lifting a hand to stop the receptionist. “Not yet. We do have a few witnesses on their way here, if you don’t mind waiting a little longer…”

“Oh, oh. That’s fine, then!” said the receptionist. “Around half an hour, maybe?”

“Yes, please,” said Loki, smiling. The man nodded.

“I’ll let the minister know!”

With that, he rushed through a door and disappeared from sight. Loki smiled with satisfaction, as Sif stared at him warily.

“Loki…?” she whispered.

“Yes, I achieved just what I said I would, though admittedly mostly thanks to you. Hadn’t you said my last name when you did, maybe…”

“Loki,” she repeated, planting herself firmly before him. “Are you seriously trying to get us married?”

“I… n-no, no, no,” he said, gulping and shaking his head. “This is but a trap, Sif. We’re going to pretend to be the ones who’ll get married, so when my brother and his… Jane, was it? When they show up for their reservation, we’ll catch them and end this before it goes any further. It’s not… it’s not serious. I was merely playing along to get the information we needed.”

“Really?” Sif asked. She could read his voice tone a lot better than Loki realized. Something about his words was betraying he wasn’t quite pleased by saying the words he was saying…

“Of course, of course. Don’t worry,” he said. Sif sighed.

“You’re not being honest,” she said. Loki froze. “You… do you want us to get married?”

“W-well, I… I figure, well, if things worked out between us, we could consider it one day but… but no, no, not now,” he whispered, dropping his gaze. Sif nodded.

“I never imagined getting married in Vegas, honestly. It’s not like I imagined my wedding a lot, I seldom did, but… this isn’t at all what I expected,” she said, smiling a little.

“Maybe we can tell them to enact a ceremony and not do it seriously. We could be in the middle of it when Thor arrives, and maybe the sight of us getting married will make him come to his senses,” said Loki, with a weak grin. Sif snorted. “I mean… I understand that doing it seriously would be too much. But don’t you think it would be fun, getting back to Thor for ditching us over… well, whatever he was up to here in Vegas?”

“That… that does sound appealing, I’ll admit,” she said, her smile widening. “And in all fairness… my mother would probably be beyond indignant if she found out I got married in Vegas. It would be a fun way to send a message, huh?”

“W-well, but we won’t really do it, will we?” said Loki, eyeing her with uncertainty. Sif snorted.

“Of course not, that’s… rash. Too rash. It’d be crazy!” she said, chuckling.

“We’ve only gotten along for the past week, after all,” said Loki, smirking. “A lot better than I expected, true, but… we probably should have been involved for around half a year before thinking about marriage, right?”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like Thor’s waited that long…” said Sif.

“My brother follows his gut wherever he goes,” said Loki. “That’s what he’s always been like. He probably hasn’t thought this through in the slightest…”

“But, you know, he… he does enjoy himself quite a lot by being so rash,” Sif said, chuckling. “Who knows? Maybe… maybe we could do with some recklessness once in a while. If it didn’t work out, we could just ask for a divorce, right?”

“I could arrange it easily, though I will say that’s certainly not the direction in which I’d like this relationship to go,” said Loki, smirking. Sif bit her lip. “B-but… this is all hypothetical, right? It’s just…”

“Y-yes, of course, unless you… unless you meant it seriously.”

“Or unless you did.”

They stood in place, their gazes locked. They were both anxious, both uncertain, and their hearts were racing at full speed. The suspended silence between them was broken when they both laughed in disbelief.

“We’re… we’re losing our minds,” said Sif, chuckling. “It’s the road trip’s fault, or the holiday’s, I don’t know…”

“I must say, this had never happened to me before,” said Loki, smiling at her. “Marrying someone after a relationship of less than a week? It’s… it’s crazy.”

“But it doesn’t sound so bad, does it?” said Sif, biting her lip. “It’d be kind of fun. My mother would be mindblown, we might teach Thor a lesson whenever he gets here…”

“And we would no longer live in sin,” he said, winking at her teasingly. Sif laughed as he surrounded her with his arms. “Really, though… we could still do a fake version, if you’d feel more comfortable with it that way. It’d be safer, no need for divorces later, but…”

“Do you really think we’ll need one?” she asked, smiling warmly at him. Loki snorted and shook his head.

“I don’t know. I certainly hope not,” he said, pressing his forehead to hers. “I’ve liked you for such a long time, Sif. But now, I…”

“You might have just fallen in love with me?” she asked, somewhat teasingly. At the sight of a small grin on his face, she reached up and kissed him, hard.

Loki returned the kiss earnestly, closing his eyes and cupping her face. Her body angled against him, as it had every night since they took off on this trip. As she was hoping it would, from this day onwards…

“Good,” she said, when they parted, her breath against his lips. “Because I think I might have fallen for you, too.”

Loki laughed somewhat nervously before caressing her cheek and kissing her again. She smiled into each kiss, her heart aflutter. She had never felt this way before, with her heart racing in pure bliss, with this urge to make her feelings for him known in the only ways she knew how, by kissing him passionately like this. Her arms surrounded his neck, as she stood on the tips of her toes; one of his arms was around her waist as the other slid down to her neck, sending gentle shivers down her spine as their deep kiss conveyed everything they weren’t sure how to put into words…

And just as they blocked out everything around them, all their senses devoted to their passionate exchange, two new people arrived to the chapel, hand in hand. He was tall and well-built, she was lean and short, with long brown hair. And they seemed just as taken with their conversation as the kissing pair were with each other.

“... So you chose this one because of the Elvis impersonators, really?”

“It sounded like fun! Don’t worry, it’ll be just fine. Marriages here are legal just as they are anywhere else in the country.”

“But don’t you think your family will disapprove? I mean, you said your father was quite upset with you, and your mother might not like that you’re doing this without having told her…”

“Oh, no worries. They wanted me to get my life in order, I will! And that starts with you, Jane. I’m sure my parents will understand that I have finally sorted out my priorities…”

“By marrying me in Vegas?”

“What’s wrong with that? A lot of people get married in Vegas. See those two? They probably just got married too and they’re…”

It was then that the tall, burly man finally stopped to detail the kissing pair that stood near the receptionist’s empty post. The man was somewhat familiar… the woman was definitely familiar.

“Sif?” he said, his eyes wide.

Hearing her name was what brought her back to her senses, her eyes widening as she recognized that voice. She separated from Loki, who had heard it as well, and his heart sank as he noticed his brother’s booming voice tone had scarcely changed in all these years.

Sif looked at Loki somewhat nervously before turning to look at Thor with a sarcastic smile. His eyes were wide as plates, and as anticipated, there was a small woman right next to him. They were a very mismatched couple, but perhaps because of how mismatched they were, they actually looked quite nice together.

“Ah! The prodigal son returns!” Sif exclaimed sarcastically, smirking at Thor unpleasantly. His heart sank as he gulped. his face a mask of confusion and guilt. “To think he’s the one who’s become the prodigal son by now instead of you, Loki…”

“Indeed…” said Loki, sighing and turning to look at his brother. “You covet even my least desirable titles, don’t you, brother?”

And that was when Thor’s jaw dropped, rendering him speechless for at least two minutes during which Jane’s eyes flickered from the pair to Thor, swallowing hard with uncertainty.

“Uh… Hi?” she said, looking at Sif and Loki with uncertainty. Sif smiled.

“I take it you’re Jane? Jane Foster, was it?” she asked.

“Is it true you’re a doctor? You’re probably too refined for my brother’s usual taste in women, I’ll say,” said Loki, snickering. “But it’s good that he had an upgrade. I am Loki Odinson, pleasure to meet you”

“O-oh, of course…” said Jane, biting her lip. “Thor was on his way to see you, but, uh… he got a little sidetracked.”

“No kidding,” said Loki, raising his eyebrows and staring at the still unresponsive Thor.

“And you must be… Sif? His friend?” Jane asked. Sif nodded and extended a hand towards her.

“And soon to be his sister-in-law, too,” she said. Loki blushed deeply, Jane crooked an eyebrow and Thor finally snapped out of his daze.

“My WHAT?!” he exclaimed. “What… what… what is the meaning of this?!”

“I suppose that’s the exact same question we meant to ask when we finally caught up with you, but…” said Sif, smiling at Loki. “Well, I guess we’re letting you off the hook, since you did make the perfect reservation for us to get married.”

“I… I did no such thing! That’s for me and Jane!” Thor exclaimed. Loki chuckled.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to learn to stop being late everywhere if you really intend to do that,” he said. “Besides, for how long have you known her?”

“What does that have to do with anything…?” Thor said, blushing a little. Jane smiled guiltily.

“We met in Christmas Eve, so…”

“A week, then?” said Loki, raising his eyebrows. “Well, I’m afraid you two ought to wait if you do mean to go through with that marriage of yours. It seems too brusque a decision. It’s not something you can do on a whim.”

“Oh, we can’t, but you and Sif can?!” Thor asked, his eyes wide. Loki bit his lip and smirked.

“Technically, we’ve known each other since we were children,” said Sif, shrugging. Thor stared at her in disbelief.

“That’s…! Well, it’s true, but you two hadn’t even seen each other in ten years! You didn’t even speak to each other when we were kids!”

“Well, we’ve found we may be a little better at talking through, uh, not so conventional means,” said Sif, smirking and placing a hand on the small of Loki’s back. Her palm slid down and cupped one of his buttocks, making him jump in surprise.

“What the…?! No, no. You are tricking me. This is a deliberate prank because I… because I didn’t get to Chicago on time! That’s what it is!”

“Oh, maybe. I guess we’ll spend the rest of our lives pranking you for that, and we’ll have a lot of fun doing it, huh?” said Sif, smirking. “And the prank certainly seems to be working just the way it should. So! Shall we, Loki? Our witnesses are finally here.”

“After you, my dear,” he said, extending an arm towards the actual chapel’s entrance.

“What…?! No! What’s the meaning of this?! Loki, you can’t just marry Sif out of nowhere, damn it!” Thor exclaimed, clasping Loki’s shoulder. Loki raised his eyebrows.

“It’s not out of nowhere, we spent almost a whole week together, traveling on car to get to you after the Four Queens called me about your imprisonment,” he said, quite sternly. “And here I thought you’d be happy for us…”

“I…! I get it, I get it, I can’t act this way anymore, but Loki…!” Thor said. “Since when do you even like Sif?!”

“Ah… so you didn’t notice after all,” said Loki, smiling a little as he followed Sif down the aisle, his brother still gripping his shoulder, hard. “Here we thought you’d done it to set us up, as some sort of matchmaker would, but I guess we were wrong… still, it all worked out for the best, didn’t it, Sif?”

“Oh, absolutely. I’m only sorry I don’t have a dress,” she said, sighing wistfully before smirking with malice. Loki chuckled and slid his hand into hers, as they came to stand before the altar.

The Elvis impersonator who would officiate the wedding had been chatting on the phone until he noticed they had arrived. He ended the call quickly, rushing to get to the altar.

“Ah, dearly beloved, we are gathered here…!” he started, and Thor’s eyebrows twitched.

“But we’re the ones who’re supposed to…” he said, but a hand clasping his kept him from voicing his protests.

Jane smiled and shook her head in his direction. Thor pouted.

“But I wanted to marry you…” he whispered. She laughed softly.

“Later, maybe. We can slow down a bit, okay? Even if it feels so right…” she said.

Thor’s pout eased, and he smiled fondly at Jane. He lifted her hand to his lips, guessing a delay wouldn’t be that much trouble, after all. For all they knew, they’d be together for good. Holding back with the wedding for a few more months shouldn’t be that bad an idea.

But that reasoning still made him frown at Loki and Sif as they recited their vows steadily, smiles on their faces. His brother had some bouts of impulsiveness, but not like this… at least, not as far as he remembered. Sif, on the other hand, was quite prone to making insane decisions just to spite someone. He only hoped she was doing this for the right reason, and not just to mess with him…

Unbeknownst to Thor, the pair before him were quite amused by what they were doing, but they were also proud of it, regardless of how crazy it really was. Maybe they weren’t all that ready for marriage - they still lived in different states, for starters, and they needed to work out lots of details to make this work -, but the feelings that nestled in their hearts convinced them that this wasn’t a mistake, not entirely. The day would come, certainly, when they would look back on this crazy day and laugh over how reckless they were… but they would certainly not regret it. They were sure of it.

“Well, if nobody objects…” said Elvis, staring at the two witnesses with a crooked eyebrow. Thor only sighed in defeat, surprising Sif and Loki. “By the power conferred to me by the State of Nevada, I declare you husband and wife. You may kiss now!”  
Jane smiled and clapped politely while Thor sighed and followed her lead, staring in disbelief as Sif laughed and threw her arms around Loki’s neck, kissing him fiercely. Loki as well couldn’t seem to stop laughing. He had seen countless movies, and heard lots of anecdotes, about how hard it was to keep from crying when the fateful moment of tying the knot arrived: but as it was, neither he nor Sif could stop laughing and smiling at each other. They hugged tightly as Elvis, Thor and Jane smiled upon them, their spontaneous road trip reaching the most unforeseen conclusion of all.

* * *

 

“So… that’s how you two ended up here?” Thor asked, his eyes wide as the four of them sat in a coffee shop, sipping drinks and eating muffins as an alleged wedding banquet celebration.

Loki and Sif had agreed to explain how they had gotten involved so suddenly, as long as Thor and Jane explained their story too. It hadn’t taken them too long to regale the other pair with their tale, and they kept sharing smiles of complicity as they did, their hands linked over the table.

“Indeed, that’s how it happened. Basically, it’s all your fault,” said Loki, smiling proudly. Thor groaned and sank in his seat, shaking his head.

“Now, the real question…” said Sif, as she poured cream on her coffee. “Is how the blazes did you end up in Vegas when you had begged me to support you in Chicago when meeting your brother again. That one’s the actual mystery around here, Thor.”

“Well…” said Thor, sighing and looking at her apologetically. “I did want to get there, but the plane I took from LA was supposed to head directly to Chicago, but we’d only been airborne for a few minutes when they were told they couldn’t make it because of atmospheric nonsense. We were forced to land in Vegas, told to wait in the airport, but I thought I’d find myself something to drink instead and, well, one thing led to another, and…”

“And you missed your flight,” said Sif. Thor smiled guiltily.

“Everything else was booked. I couldn’t get out of Vegas, and I would have let you know, but my phone’s been dead because I forgot the cable charger.”

“And you couldn’t be bothered to buy a new one?” Loki asked. Thor scratched the top of his head.

“Didn’t really cross my mind. Well, I’ll do it the next time it…”

“And you think there’s going to be a next time,” Loki said, shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingertips. Thor laughed.

“Okay, okay, so I just found myself a room in the Four Queens, planned to stay there for the night, then go to the airport until I could get a flight to Chicago, but nothing had changed by then, so I couldn’t do anything!”

“No? Not even flying someplace close, then driving to Chicago?” Loki asked. Thor bit his lip.

“Didn’t think of it. Anyways! That night I saw Jane in the hotel,” he said, smiling at Jane “I thought she was pretty right away, but I didn’t approach her until two nights later. I was talking to her as she used one of the machines and some douchebag came up to her, telling her to get off the machine if she was going to be chatting instead. I told him to use another one, he said that one was his lucky machine, I said maybe he wasn’t getting lucky that night, he got mad, and then, uh…”

“You threw him against the next machine,” said Jane, smiling. Thor sighed.

“No worries. The medical support showed up right away. I’m sure he got all the stitches he needed,” he said, raising a hand defensively as both Loki and Sif gazed at him in horror.

“You assaulted a complete stranger?!” Loki exclaimed.

“He was harassing Jane! I wasn’t having any of that!” Thor declared. Jane smiled weakly.

“I did think he’d gone too far, but he’s still sure the guy deserved it for bothering me…”

“Just… how drunk were you that night, if I can ask?” Sif said, looking at Thor with skeptical eyes.

“I, uh… had a few glasses of beer,” he said, shrugging.

“A few, as in, a ton?” Sif asked, smirking in disbelief. Thor waved a hand in her direction.

“Don’t be so exaggerated, it was merely… what, four pints? Ah, anyways…”

“You’re crazy,” said Sif, sighing and shaking her head.

“They took me to their underground holding cell, I was there for… what, one day?” Thor asked, looking at Jane. She nodded.

“I wasn’t sure if I should do anything, I mean, he was a complete stranger,” she said. “But I came to Vegas with this friend of mine, and she wanted me to unwind, so… she said I should just go help that handsome guy who was interested in me. I thought she was crazy at first, but… but then I figured I’d at least pay his bail, you know? He did get himself there trying to help me…”

“Well, he’s also the reason the crazy guy was mad at you, from my understanding…” said Sif.

“He probably would have been mad even if Thor hadn’t been there,” said Loki. “If his problem was because she was on his ‘lucky machine’...”

“True,” said Sif, smiling. “So then you thought you’d help him and he latched onto you, just like that?”

“Pretty much,” said Thor, smiling at Jane. “She saved me from rotting in that cell until… I guess until today? I wouldn’t have gotten out through any other means until you two arrived, from the looks of it…”

“You mean your parents didn’t hear of it?” Sif asked. Thor gave her a dry grin.

“They did. They weren’t happy. Well… father wasn’t,” he said, specifically. Loki’s eyes widened “He said he was tired of having to help me whenever I did something stupid, since it happened too often, and he thought it was time I started dealing with the consequences of my actions, so…”

“Are you… serious?” Loki asked. Thor smiled weakly.

“Looks like you’d be a better son in his eyes by now, if you ask me,” he said. Loki huffed.

“It… it doesn’t matter,” he said. “I didn’t do everything I did just to please him. I don’t need to be his favorite child…”

“Well, I honestly don’t know if you would be,” said Sif, smiling a little. “All things considered, you did marry someone in Vegas after hardly six days of spending time together, right?”

“You have a point,” Loki conceded, smirking at her. “But indeed, I still don’t care. I’m glad we did what we did. Maybe you can tell Odin you tried to stop me and Sif, and he’ll think you’ve grown to understand what responsibility means…”

“I doubt it, but… maybe you could tell him the full story yourself,” said Thor, stretching back on his chair. Loki’s eyes widened.

“What…?”

“Well, now… it’s still the holidays, Loki,” said Thor, smiling. “You still have that car, we can drive home now so I can introduce Jane to our parents! It’s been forever since you’d last been there, but mother has made sure your bedroom remains as you left it. I suppose you could use a bigger bed now that you have an unexpected new wife with you, but…”

“I… I don’t know if I should. Odin isn’t likely to react well upon seeing me,” said Loki, lowering his gaze. Sif clasped his hand with hers.

“Well, then, me and mother will surely scold him if he acts like a prick,” said Thor, beaming. Loki raised a doubtful eyebrow.

“Not sure he’ll take any scolding seriously if it comes from you,” he said. Thor laughed.

“Probably not. But it’s still worth the try,” he said, patting Loki on the shoulder. “But regardless of what he thinks or says… you can come home if you’d like, Loki. We miss you.”

The words cut Loki deeply, and before he knew it, his free hand reached up to clasp Thor’s too. The two brothers stared at each other, ten years of distance as good as forgotten now that they were together again, bickering as they always had.

“It’s good to see you again, brother,” Thor said. Loki nodded.

“It’s… it’s good to see you too, Thor,” he whispered. He couldn’t believe he was uttering those words, but he spoke them from the heart as earnestly as could be.

Sif watched them with a gentle smile and sighed, guessing she’d have to cut short her time with the siblings. Maybe Loki was ready to go home, but she certainly wasn’t. She would find a way to return to New York, and probably define the details about her new marriage to Loki later on.

“And Sif…” said Thor, smiling. “Don’t look so dejected. You’re coming too.”

Her eyes widened, and she stared at him in confusion.

“I… I can’t, Thor,” she said. “My mother will want to kill me for getting married without telling her, and…”

“Why would she? You said she’s always badgering you about it, so there she goes! Just promise her the grandchildren are on the way and she’ll lay off,” said Thor, beaming. “Besides… I’m sure mother will love to know you two eloped like that. She might demand that you hold a proper wedding ceremony later, though…”

“Hmm… Maybe we ought to get married again in California,” said Loki, rubbing his chin, deep in thought. “And then in Chicago. And in New York…”

“What, in every single state?” Sif asked, smiling in disbelief. Loki smirked and winked at her.

“This road trip has been so much fun already that I can’t see how that’s a bad idea,” he said. She snorted.

“And how are we going to get to Hawaii on a road trip?” she asked.

“Ah, well, we can fly there,” he said, smiling. “And then have our honeymoon in Hawaii.”

“A honeymoon, too?” Sif asked, laughing. “Oh, Loki, you’re crazy.”

“And yet I’m not hearing a ‘no’,” he said. Sif dropped her head on his shoulder, chuckling still.

“Maybe I’m just as crazy as you are, huh?” she said, kissing his neck softly. Thor smirked while watching them.

“You know, even if you explain it a million times, I don’t think I’ll ever get it, but… congratulations, you two. I probably should’ve thought of setting you up sooner, huh?”

“I would have been grateful for it, surely. Maybe she wouldn’t have, though” said Loki, Sif sighed.

“And what a fool would I have been if I had rejected you, my Trickster” she said, intertwining her fingers with his. Loki blushed but smiled. Being openly affectionate with someone, and especially so with Sif, wasn’t easy for someone as introverted as him. But he liked it, he realized. He enjoyed the feeling of being cherished by her, the knowledge that she was proud of being with him. Of being his wife.

He resolved he would design the perfect ring for her as soon as they arrived to California. Their married life had started too suddenly to plan anything properly, but he meant to make sure to be the best husband he could ever be.

The four of them rode together to California again by late afternoon, with Thor and Jane sleeping and cuddling warmly on the backseat of the car while Sif watched Loki as he drived. She smiled at him, and he grinned back when he noticed her gaze on him.

“This is certainly not how I expected to spend the holidays. I really thought they’d suck, but… this certainly has been a good surprise,” she said. Loki beamed.

“I didn’t expect it either, whatsoever. But it certainly has been an enjoyable road trip, don’t you think?” he said. Sif nodded and smiled blissfully, her head on his shoulder as he stopped at a traffic light.

“The most enjoyable road trip,” she said, as their hands found each other over the gear shift again.

He kissed her furtively, hoping the light would stay in red long enough for them to enjoy this fully. Sif caressed his face, ever smiling for her brand new husband. Her heart seemed to swell as she basked in every kiss and caress, as she remembered every embrace, every night spent together. And although the immediate future was somewhat scary, she was elated to know that the fate of their relationship certainly would go far and beyond the wonderful road trip where it had begun.


End file.
